ORLANDO – The Rho 1012 Continuous Inkjet Production System, the most productive 12 picolitre digital printer in its class, has an output resolution of 1,000 dpi at speeds up to 5,270 sq./ft. (490m²). With the addition of Durst’s innovative new Variodrop ink modulation technology, it is capable of excellent results at even faster printing speeds. 

Since its introduction earlier this year, the Rho 1012 has raised the bar for productivity and image quality in the industrial segment.  With the inclusion of Variodrop technology, solid areas are even smoother. In addition, Variodrop overcomes some of the errors which can occur with greyscale printing. Greyscale relies heavily on accuracy of drop placement, which this can be affected by the uniformity of velocity of drops. Any variation in print head performance can lead to a mismatch of greyscale drop velocities; the consequence is drop placement inaccuracy.

Variodrop technology on the Rho 1012 changes the drop size from 12 to 20 picolitres.  Even at the larger drop size, solid colors are smoother and have an improved color gamut. Variodrop is an adjustable binary “multipulsing” mode controlling drop size modulation. It combines two voltage pulses in such a way that the second pulse pumps precise dosage amounts of ink into the droplet before it detaches from the nozzle plate, without forming any satellites. Compared to the often uneven droplets formed from a not well tuned greyscale waveform, Variodrop’s double pulse drop shape is perfectly uniform and its placement is always evenly spaced.

Like other Durst inkjet printers, the Rho 1012 is upgradable in the field. This means Variodrop technology can be added to customers’ existing printers.

The Rho 1012 has a host of productivity and efficiency features, such as left and right registration that enables parallel printing of boards side by side, as well as mechanical 2-point pin registration for perfect front and reverse side printing. Media handling options include fast change from rigid to roll, and options for roll-to-sheet or roll-to-roll printing.  There are numerous ink options, including white, light colors and Process Color Additions (PCA).

“With our innovative new Variodrop technology, the Rho 1012 will continue to set the benchmark for large-format quality and productivity in the highest volume printing segments for some time to come,” said Christopher Howard, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Durst U.S.