Canon UVgel Technology

Using patented Océ TonerPearls, Océ CrystalPoint technology is ideal for a wide range of applications including CAD plots, GIS documents and business graphics.

ADVANTAGES

• The solidified state of the pinned gel dot prevents coalescence (merging) between individual ink drops, delivering optimal control over the dot to prevent spread (dot gain). By controlling dot gain, more ink can be deposited in fewer passes, improving speed.
• Because LED curing is performed later than with existing technologies, images have a more uniform, smoother surface.
• By eliminating the need for immediate curing, productivity is substantially increased compared with conventional UV because curing no longer limits print speed.
• Prints are instantly dry, requiring no evaporative drying process.

HOW THE TECHNOLOGY WORKS
Inside the printheads, Canon UVgel ink is heated and turns from gel into liquid. The temperature-controlled platen maintains the substrate at a constant 28°C temperature regardless of environmental factors. On contact with the media, the liquefied ink drops return immediately to their gel state. In their gel state, the ink droplets are “pinned” instantly to the media, assisted by a partial LED “procure” process. Full LED curing takes place at a later stage, after the image swathe is completely formed and gelled on the media.