Home

Analyst Viewpoint : FLAAR Report - Gerber Solara ion

Download the full report

"Gerber engineers have cleverly made an intelligent completely dual-use UV printer: a dedicated flatbed with a dedicated roll-fed adjacent. Genial. What more can I say, it’s an excellent design concept."

Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth, FLAAR Report

Download the full report
GerberCat

GerberCat

Unmatched adhesion on the widest range of materials.
Heat sensitive plastics, vinyl, fabrics, and even paper based materials can be printed with GerberCAT™ inks without any concern for ink adhesion or material damage. In addition, GerberCAT™ inks offer an outdoor-durable life span of up to three years.

That is because the exclusive GerberCAT™ cationic UV-inks cure completely through using newly developed low-energy lamps. This process (called Cold Fire Cure™) generates very little heat; GerberCAT™ inks cure at approximately room temperature.

Unmatched adhesion

GerberCAT™ inks provide unmatched adhesion on the widest range of materials, even on difficult surfaces such as glass and textiles. GerberCAT™ inks cure into a strong, yet flexible mechanical bond that is immediately usable (unlike solvent inks that create a chemical bond by eroding the surface of the substrate).

Gerber has developed a genuine print-and-apply process for vehicle applications which allows application immediately after printing. The ultra-flexible GerberCAT™ bond allows the Gerber Solara ion™ to support an extensive range of three-dimensional applications.

Why is GerberCAT ink adhesion so strong (vs. traditional UV ink)?

There is actually a slight difference in the amount of time required to cure the inks. This miniscule difference in curing times is undistinguishable to the operator, but it affects the adhesion and flexibility of the printed output.

Traditional UV inks take just milliseconds to cure, creating a more brittle bond. In contrast, GerberCAT inks cure in approximately one second. The result of this 'slower' curing time produces printed output with greater adhesion, more durability, better abrasion resistance, and outstanding flexibility.

  • Prints are dry and ready to use immediately.
  • Unmatched adhesion on materials problematic for other ink jet printers such as glass and textiles.
  • Ultra-flexible bond allows printing fleet graphics, vehicle wraps with tight curves, and smooth application over rivets. Can be stretched up to 200%.
  • Carwraps & rigids with one UV-inkset.

Performance PropertiesTraditional
Free Radical
UV Ink
New
GerberCat™
Cationic Ink
Cure Energy RequiredHighLow
AdhesionGoodExcellent
FlexibilityPoorExcellent
Chemical ResistanceFairGood
Hardness/GlossFairGood
OpacityGoodExcellent
Environmental ResistanceGoodExcellent

All rights reserved by Spandex

Spandex UK