To complement its Falcon Outdoor series of mild-solvent inkjet printers, Mutoh America has introduced the Ultima 850 and Ultima 1400 multipurpose cutting plotters. The Ultima 850 can cut graphics up to 24 in. wide on 33-in. wide meda; the 1400 model can cut graphics 47 in. wide on 55-in. wide media.
The cutters use built-in laser-based optical sensors to automatically detect registration marks on inkjet-printed adhesive-backed vinyl and guide the contour cutting of inkjet-printed decals and signs. To prepare files for contour cutting, operators simply insert a rectangular box around the images in the image file. After the image is printed and placed in the Ultima cutter, the otpical sensor scans the rectangular box and transmits the measured data to the Easy Sign software included with each Ultima. The software uses the data to determine the position of the image and begin contour cutting.
Each Ultima uses a solid drag knife blade that can cut a variety of media up to 1-mm thick–from standard vinyl and screen film to sandblast material. Cutting force is adjustable from 20 to 450 g, and cutting speed can reach an acceleration of 3 G and cutting speeds of 39 in./sec.
Other features include adjustable grid rollers for handling different widths of media and a media-collection basket. The Ultima cutters work with either PCs or Macs and come with an integrated USB interface for fast connectivity.
Ultima cutters can be purchased as standalone equipment for $3995 for the Ultima 850 and $7995 for the 1400 or bundled with Falcon Outdoor inkjet printers. The Ultima 850 bundled with a 46-in. Falcon Outdoor is $21,995. The Ultima 1400 bundled with a 62-in. Falcon Outdoor is $24,995. (Mutoh America: www.mutoh.com)