WAE buys second Longier grand-format printer

This month will see Leeds-based WAE Group installing a second Longier grand format printer, two years after installing the first. The new RU 3200 3.2m roll-to-roll printer follows a Longier Hunter FP-3750 LED flatbed, both sourced through QPS. The latest machine has been adapted to include a unit that lifts fabric from the bed, a necessity that has grown since the first Longier was installed in 2015.

"We wanted both a dedicated flatbed and a dedicated roll-to-roll to avoid changeovers, as they can be time-consuming," said WAE MD Paul Austin. "We have enough work to warrant the two machines." He said the Longier RU 3200 will replace an older 3.2m-wide printer that had come to the end of its working life. Furthermore, he was drawn to the more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly LED-curing system offered by the UV Longier. "LED is definitely the way to go over mercury lamps," he says. "We've decided to embrace the technology as and when we replace older machines, and expect to have a full suite of UV printers in the near future."