Mimaki to unveil exciting digital solutions for the plastics industry at K 2016

Digital thermoforming, membrane switches and printing on plastics to be highlighted on Mimaki stand

Amsterdam, 10 October 2016

Mimaki will be bringing exciting new solutions for the plastics industry to K 2016, scheduled for 19 to 26 October in Düsseldorf. Mimaki will be located in Hall 4, Stand A36, at the show.

New UV-Curable Inkjet Printers for plastics
Visitors to Mimaki’s stand at the show will be among the first to see its new UV flatbed UJF-3042 MkII and UJF-6042 MkII printers that deliver best-in-class print speed with good adhesion to acrylics and many other materials, including glass, metal and resins. They are also ideal for producing membrane switches or wallet smartphone cases that must be pressed or folded. A variety of ink types are available for these systems, enabling printing on both rigid and flexible materials, including inks designed for durability with excellent scratch resistance, and inks that can be stretched up to 170% without cracking. Textures can be added using a clear varnish ink.

“We believe visitors to our stand will be pleased with the types of applications these UV flatbed models can produce,” states Mike Horsten, Mimaki’s General Manager Marketing EMEA. “With format sizes of up to 60x42cm, they offer significantly improved printing quality thanks to completely redesigned table technology, further extending the range of applications that can be printed directly to rigid materials. This enables the type of cost-efficient production of mock-ups, samples and short-run products by stakeholders across the entire plastics supply chain that has been difficult to achieve in the past.”

Digital thermoforming innovation
Mimaki will also be demonstrating its UJF-7151plus multipurpose wide-format printer that can print on a variety of substrates including plastics, metal, wood, leather and glass onto materials up to 28” wide x 20” long and 6” thick. “We will have two of these outstanding printers on our stand,” Horsten adds. “We are particularly excited about demonstrating this printer with our LUS-350 thermoforming ink. Mimaki LUS-350 is a unique, stretchable ink suitable for a wide range of thermoforming applications, especially those requiring exceptional hardness and durability such as automotive parts. Mimaki LUS-350 ink is compatible with Mimaki UJF-7151plus, JFX200-2513 and JFX200-2531 printers. The ink is available in CMYK, white and a unique clear ink that can also add texture. We will also have a Formech 508FS vacuum forming machine on the stand so visitors can experience the entire process.”

Cutting it close
Finishing of short run items, whether they are mock-ups, samples or final products, can also be a challenge – time consuming, costly and error prone. Mimaki’s CFL-605RT flatbed cutting plotter will be on show at K 2016, in combination with the Mimaki UJF-6042 MkII. This compact, multifunctional solution is ideal for cutting a wide range of media of up to 10mm thick, including PET, foam boards or paper, using various cutting functions. It also includes a powerful cutting software plug-in package that makes it easy to use and minimises opportunity for error.

“We are looking forward to meeting with plastics professionals from all parts of the plastics supply chain at K 2016,” Horsten concluded. “We believe they will be very interested in what we have to offer. It is a pleasure for us to discuss with visitors how we can bring even more specialised solutions to market that will help make their businesses more productive and profitable.”