Press release

swissQprint Tip Switch Vacuum: now patented

swissQprint's unique Tip Switch Vacuum system received a patent in August 2023. This is the energy and time saving system operators use for fingertip control over their large format printer’s finely segmented print bed vacuum.

swissQprint Tip Switch Vacuum patented © swissQprint

swissQprint’s Tip Switch Vacuum is now patented after coming on the market in 2019. The system provides fast, selective adjustment of the vacuum used for securing media to the print bed. It comes as standard on all swissQprint flatbed and roll to roll printers.

Minimal set-up and masking effort

A swissQprint large format printer has its print bed divided into as many as 256 vacuum segments, depending on the model. Light fingertip pressure on a toggle switch (Tip Switch) enables or disables the respective segment, thus shutting off vacuum in the gaps between boards on a flatbed, or parallel lanes of material in roll to roll printing. So setting up print jobs is speedy, convenient, with tedious masking work largely eliminated.

Power-saving

As a point of design principle, swissQprint systems use underpressure-controlled vacuum for reduced noise emissions and energy requirements. The vacuum system contributes to swissQprint large format printers’ high energy efficiency, as evidenced by their ISO standard 20690:2018 certification.