Canon showcases M-series UVgel innovations at drupa 2024

Canon showcased multiple innovations in its M-series printers. The additions offer new and existing customers an expanded application range and opportunities to enter new market segments, including industrial print.

New FLXture Micro-texture Printing for Special Effects

A new feature that is now available for the Colorado M-series printer is FLXture. This five-ink-layer printing technology adds micro-texture to large format prints for subtle surface detail, replicating the luxurious and sensory feel of materials such as wood and leather. Creative print applications can be designed with an easy-to-use recipe in PRISMAguide XL software, which intelligently prepares the layers of UVgel ink for printing. Whether the requirement is for a subtle background texture, elegantly embossed lettering, or highlighting parts of an image on high-value packaging, labels or other products. Steven Badger, Head of Sales and Professional Services explained that "FLXture can enhance printed applications with additional surface textures without complicated combinations of different materials. FLXture is available for both new installations and current users on the latest software releases for the Colorado printer and PRISMAguide XL." 

Maximised Productivity for a Broader Media Range

To maximise productivity by reducing the need for roll changes for longer jobs, a new, enhanced Jumbo Roll Interface kit option now enables the Colorado printer to handle jumbo rolls of all types of media, including transparent, structured, metallic and dark-coloured media.

UVgel Benefits Extend into Industrial Print

The Colorado M-series and UVgel capabilities also extend to industrial print applications, specifically printing graphic overlays for membrane switches, which are printed electronic circuits that use pressure to open and close a circuit. Printed on a polymer substrate, such as polyester or polycarbonate, the ink used for graphic overlays needs to be hard-wearing and flexible to prevent delamination. In these aspects, UVgel technology excels, being robust enough not to require laminating in many instances and being specifically developed with the elasticity for printing on flexible media without cracking. No additional or optional features are required for this application.

Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, says, “Offering the unique benefits of Canon’s UVgel technology, the Colorado was designed right from the start to deliver the optimal combination of quality, productivity, automation, application range, operating cost and sustainability. The system’s success in the market showed what a great combination of benefits it offers and, together with customer feedback, inspired us to develop the modular Colorado M-series. Launched last year, the M-series has, in turn, set a new standard for productivity and substantially expanded the range of applications that customers can create.

“And we’re not stopping there. Leveraging the benefits of UVgel technology and the modularity of the Colorado M-series, the advances focus on application diversification and automation. With our continuous technology developments and our strategy and commitment to customer-led innovation, we’ll continue to deliver innovations that provide our customers with competitive advantages by increasing their capabilities and helping them to tap into new profitable creative applications, products and markets, such as packaging and industrial print.”

“We passionately believe this long-term strategy of modularity and versatility will change how large format graphics and other applications are being produced for the better and will benefit our customers and the wider society,” concluded Faulkner.

Steven Badger concludes, "We have had excellent feedback from our customers who are looking forward to exploring the new applications these innovations enable."