Following extensive talks over two years, Fujifilm has agreed terms for a joint development with Barberán, to bring a high-speed, single pass inkjet press to the sign and display market.
Barberán has established itself as a leader in high-end, high productivity industrial presses for the corrugated market over the last ten years – with 30 customers in North America alone. Now this new partnership combines Barberán’s manufacturing expertise with Fujifilm’s knowledge of inkjet integration, ink chemistry and its extensive experience in the sign and display market. The new press will print with a bespoke new Fujifilm ink and primer, developed at its factory in Broadstairs, UK, making it suitable for printing on a range of substrates, including plastic and particleboard.
At 30m in length and with an excellent built-in print engine, the machine will be able to print on all typical sign and display substrates, up to a width of 1.6m, at speeds of 6,000 sqm per hr. A number of major sign and display print businesses in North America and Europe have signed agreements to take the first machines when it is available in late 2023.
David Burton, Business and Commercial Director, Fujifilm WFIJ HQ, says, “We choose our partners carefully and Barberán is no exception. We’ve been in close talks with them for more than two years because they have a huge amount of expertise in industrial print manufacturing and we saw an opportunity for a mutually beneficial relationship. They already have a single pass product that is proven in the corrugated sector, and we have the expertise to help them adapt it for the very different requirements of the sign and display market. The breadth of experience, and our expertise in ink development, combined with Barberán’s skill in heavy engineering, makes us the perfect partnership to provide a business development opportunity for high-end flat sheet sign and display printers.”
Eladio Lerga, Technical Director, Barberán, adds, “We’re excited to be bringing our technology to a whole new market. Fujifilm’s experience in print for sign and display will be crucial to this – as well as its expertise in inkjet ink chemistry and inkjet systems. Working together we can maintain our print speeds and quality, and adapt our systems to accommodate a much wider range of substrates and to meet the different market requirements of this sector.”
