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NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution compared with regular NUR Expedio 5000

There is a difference between a production printer and a regular printer. A production printer is built to run 24-7.

Sign shop owners who have Chinese-made UV printers complain these low-bid UV-printers wear out if used a few hours a day for only a few months.

So that’s the difference. The DuPont Cromaprint 22uv is another printer that can unlikely run 24-7: the printshop that we visited that owned one indicated it did not fall apart as much as other Chinese printers, but that it was indeed down and out occasionally.

A production printer is built, from the beginning, to hold up. So forget about printers made in China (until they learn to improve their quality over the next few years).

Yes, of course, every printer has issues; every printer needs maintenance. And the heat from the UV lamps may require even an occasional rest to cool down. But when visiting the NUR factory they said they would clearly indicate any limitations their printer had: any machine with moving parts will at some point in it’s life need servicing. That’s why a printer manufacturer has a tech support system.

NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution at ISA 2007.

This page is being added in preparation for the second factory visit and in preparation for seeing the printer at SGIA. I had my first experience with the NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution at ISA 2007. NUR also had 3.2 meter version of the Expedio printers at Graphics of the Americas . But the Revolution is a special version of the 5-meter model.

The NUR Expedio Revolution has special ink and delivery system: the coverage of the ink is significantly better than any other UV roll-fed printer and the price is deliberately kept low so that the cost of using UV is the same as the cost of using solvent ink.

Just recognize that the Revolution is made for banners, billboards, and signage that will be seen at those viewing distances.

This is the NUR Expedio 5000, SGIA 2004.

UV-curable ink coverage compared with solvent ink coverage

If you take a bottle of solvent ink, it costs X-dollars. If you take an average bottle of UV-curable ink, it costs between $183 and $224 (noticeably more than the liter of solvent ink).

So the natural conclusion is that “UV ink costs more than solvent ink.”

But this is not the way that expert’s reach the true cost of printing, because the amount of UV ink it takes to print a square meter or a square foot is demonstrably less than the larger amount of solvent-filled ink needed to print with a solvent system.

So you use less UV ink than you need for solvent-filled inks.

And, if you have a software (firmware) that requires lower ink usage, combined with a UV ink that costs less than $224, and perhaps even less than $183, your true ink cost for UV-curable printing begins to drop.

Now you can see why FLAAR is curious about the NUR Expedio 5000 and why it’s named the “Revolution.”

Here is Nicholas inside the NUR factory to check on the insides of the Expedio 5000 UV roll-to-roll printer. Notice the effort that FLAAR makes to get all the way to Israel to do this inspection. Now you see why the FLAAR Reports are the de facto resource for reviews of UV printers worldwide.

It takes time, effort, and a budget to undertake a full-scale evaluation of any printer, especially one as large and sophisticated as the NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution, but we are starting by visiting the NUR factory and technology development facilities (May 25 th, 2007). Although we find a trade show as an excellent way to compare a dozen different brands, to really learn about all the capabilities of any one brand, you need to be outside the hectic of a busy trade show booth.

I will be back in the NUR R&D department in Israel for several days in October, en route to lecturing in Slovenia and doing a booth appearance for another printer manufacturer at VISCOM Madrid. FLAAR is intent on learning the pros and cons of all brands of UV printers, not just one.

Our reports on the NUR Expedio printers have been available now since last year. As soon as the HP Scitex versions are better known the NUR reports will be updated.

Now the NUR Expedio 5000 and NUR Revolution are the HP Scitex XP5100 and HP Scitex XP 5300.

The NUR Expedio 3200 and NUR Expedio Inspiration are the HP Scitex XP2100 and XP2700.

The NUR Tempo Q is the HP Scitex FB6100.

The NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution has special ink and delivery system, ISA trade show 2007.

NUR Expedio 5000 Revolution inks.

 

Most recently updated October 1, 2007.

First posted May 24, 2007.