Ben Newton (L) and Richard Inkin, 3 Sixty

New cutting-edge technology establishes unrivalled quality threshold and solves capacity issues at this Cardiff-based facility

CMYUK, Shrewsbury: Cardiff-based 3 Sixty has installed an EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i + from CMYUK. The investment provides the company with greater capacity and will be used to output a range of innovative eco textiles that are available exclusively from CMYUK.

“The new VUTEk FabriVU 340i + continues our strategy of investing in cutting edge equipment and the most advanced proven materials available today. We like to take the lead and it was the right time to invest in this new EFI technology,” said Richard Inkin, MD, 3 Sixty.

Keeping ahead of demand
Cardiff-based 3 Sixty was founded in 2010 and was an early adopter of dye sublimation printing. Its fully integrated service offering includes design, manufacturing, printing, installation, and project management. The business supports some of the world’s biggest brands in the impactful communications with their customers. It services four main market sectors – retail, events, exhibitions and leisure. Currently, textile printing accounts for 40% of the company’s output but Richard expects this to increase to 60% in the next nine months. This is in part due to the arrival of new materials that the company is currently testing with CMYUK that will come to market in the autumn, which Richard believes will be a gamechanger for its customer base. The presence of the new FabriVU 340i + will allow the business to keep abreast of the expected uplift in throughput.

One major advantage of the VUTEk 340i + is the ability to print direct to substrate, allowing for an increase in colour depth and vibrancy, enhancing the quality of print output. This printer is perfect for use with all textile materials including backlit, frontlit, blackback and flag. It can handle both direct transfer and paper sublimation processes, while the presence of an inline fixation unit negates the need for a separate heat press – saving time, money and floor space.

EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i +
EFI is the established leader in digital industrial textile printing. Its new VUTEk FabriVU 340i + offers customers the widest application range, the lowest TCO in the market, the highest income yield, and the lowest acquisition cost. The new generation 340i + offers a number of benefits over the current 340i platform. It features 8 Kyocera printheads rather than four, doubling the resolution from 300 to 600dpi, and increases POP speeds by 48% when compared to the current VUTEk 340i model.

A newly refined heat plate design ensures improved temperature uniformity. Three heat settings are now available that work within a tolerance of a single degree. There is also less outgassing but with the same colour intensity. A new flag ink removal kit allows the technology to manage high ink volumes without touching the loaded material. An optional vacuum plate for transfer paper that is field upgradable will be available soon.

CMYUK partnership
3 Sixty has worked very closely with CMYUK for over 12 years. “CMYUK is a key partner for us both on equipment and materials. It understands our business very well and we trust the team implicitly. The calibre of people who work there is very impressive, there is a great deal of knowledge and expertise which is communicated very well through impeccable customer service,” said Ben Newton, joint owner.

“The new FabriVU 340i + is garnering a great deal of interest in the market as it offers a real opportunity for customers to expand their business offerings. Its versatility allows for direct transfer and paper sublimation, with inline fixing switched on as and when required. The newly designed heat plate and daily maintenance improvements make it very quick and easy to remove liquid glycol, the bi-product of dye sublimation gasses, all of which adds to the overall operational benefits of this printer,” said Brett Platt, CMYUK, Textiles Business Manager.

The new 340i + will be on display at CMYUK’s forthcoming Printer Production Open House Event taking place on the 18th - 19th May. For more information visit https://www.cmyuk.com/printer-production-open-house.