Gerber CAT UV replaces GERBER ion X, Y, Z, etc.
At FESPA 2010 it was my understanding that the Gerber CAT UV brand name would replace the Gerber ion X, Y, and Z. But maybe I misunderstood what I was told, because on their web site a month after FESPA they still show the Solara ion printer, and in their product list they also show Solara ionV and ionX.
I am in favor of short names for printers. So Gerber CAT UV to me is better than Roland SolJet Pro III Print & Cut XC-540.
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Here is the Gerber CAT UV printer, this machine replaces the Gerber ion, X, Y, Z. FESPA Munich 2010. |
Cationic ink in Gerber CAT UV flatbed and roll to roll printer
Cationic ink does not require high heat to cure and cationic ink in general does not need primers for most materials. Normal UV-cured ink (free radical UV curing chemistry) requires primers sometimes even for normal signage materials such as Coroplast (corrugated plastic). So most Oce Arizona 250GT, 350GT and the Fujifilm printers need primer for Coroplast (and other materials too).
In fact so many rigid signage materials need primers with mercury-arc free-radical inkjet chemistry that Jetrix, Oryx, and a new manufacturer in Asia have put in printheads that can jet primer in the same printhead carriage that jets the ink.
That is about the best documentation of the downsides of normal UV-cured ink that is used in 90% of the brands and models of flatbed and roll-to-roll UV printers.
Gerber is the only company in the world that had the patience to get cationic UV inks to function in a production printer. Cationic ink is a complex chemical and other than Konica Minolta and Gerber, no one could get cationic ink to work.
There are FLAAR Reports on earlier Gerber cationic ink printers. The Gerber CAT UV is new and until we can be flown to the demo room or to an end-user site to do an evaluation, you can utilize the reports that exist on the earlier models. But since all Gerber wide-format cationic ink printers are no longer being manufactured, there is no update planned.
Gerber hopes to offer tech support and spare parts for several more years
It is honorable that Gerber will offer tech support and spare parts for those who already have a Gerber CAT or earlier model Gerber flatbed printer.
Used Gerber Ion or used Gerber CAT
Be sure you speak with end-users to learn about these printers, before you buy one. I spoke with an end-user several months ago. He was content. He did not mention any terrible features that made him want to get rid of the printer. We were planning a site-visit case study but then learned that Gerber would no longer manufacturer wide-format flatbed printers.
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The Gerber CAT printer at FESPA Munich 2010. |
Updated after ISA sign expo, May 2, 2011.
First posted August 9, 2010.
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We are adding new pages and new features every month so it is not always realistic to update old pages from past years. All the old equipment is still available on eBay, so we keep even our old pages. If you wish only the more up to date product reviews, these are in PDFs (not in the web pages, but in PDFs which are linked in the columns at the right of every page). Please realize that we tend to update a page (or a PDF) primarily when it is clear that our readers ask about this brand or model frequently. With over 45 brands of UV printers and over 200 models in the past ten years, it is not realistic to update pages on obsolete brands or unpopular models. If you prefer to speak with Nicholas Hellmuth in person about a printer, you can bring him to your company anywhere in the world as consultant. By later in 2012 more of our web sites will be in 36 different languages with instant translation (and better than old fashioned web page translators of several years ago). So far all the languages are available on www.FLAAR.org and www.3d-scanners-3d-software-reviews.org. Next will be our www.large-format-printers.org. |
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