Technology | What to Watch
THE NEW GENERATION IS HERE Erskine Stewart, managing director, swissQprint UK
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, DIGITAL PRINTING TECH LEADER SWISSQPRINT INTRODUCED ITS FIFTH GENERATION OF FLATBED PRINTERS TO CUSTOMERS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. MANAGING EDITOR, MELANIE ATTLESEY, DELVES UNDER THE HOOD TO FIND OUT MORE.
Before you know anything else about the two completely reworked models in the range, swissQprint is keen to draw attention to one stand out fact – these new machines operate at speeds 23% faster than their predecessors. That’s a huge increase and I was keen to find out exactly how this had been achieved. Following the launch event in January, I was invited to sit down with swissQprint’s UK managing director, Erskine Stewart, to learn more about the all-new Nyala 5 and Impala 5. Before talk moved to the new generation, Erskine was keen to stress that in order to know how these printers were developed it is important to honour the previous generations that came before them.
THE FIRST GENERATION swissQprint’s first-ever flatbed model was launched into the market in 2008. The first-generation Oryx was where it all began for the company. It measured 2.5x1.5m and reached a maximum print speed of 70sq m/hr. In testament to the build quality of swissQprint’s flatbeds, the very first Oryx that rolled off the production line in 2008 is still in operation today. Over the following years, swissQprint introduced various upgraded and
reworked models, with each generation offering improved print heads, increased width and faster print speeds.
An ongoing relationship with Konica Minolta means that all models manufactured by swissQprint have bespoke-made print heads designed to the company’s exacting requirements. 2022 proved a pivotal year when the Kudu was introduced. This large format flatbed printer is billed as a top-rank producer by swissQprint. With a print area measuring a huge 3.2x2m and reaching speeds 341sq m/hr, it offers superb quality with huge output. It was the first of the flatbeds developed by swissQprint to offer PSPs the choice of two or three rows of print heads and 10 colour channels for endless possibilities. Erskine explained that over 100 customers, including 10 in the UK, have already experienced this platform’s performance, profitability and reliability, and this number is growing all the time. “The Kudu has been a very successful system for us, for many of our longstanding customers and has also opened some new markets for us with some of the larger POS packaging type businesses as well,” says Erskine. It is the robust platform of the Kudu to which the Nyala 5 and Impala 5 owe their conception.
THE NEW ERA This new era in flatbed printing, as Erskine calls it, can be narrowed down to four highlight benefits; an increased print speed of 23% over previous models,
Customers past, present and future were welcomed to an open house event at the swissQprint HQ in Bracknell
18 | February/March 2025
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