Tip Switch Vacuum of SwissQPrint is now patented after coming on the market in 2019. The company received a patent in August 2023. This is the energy and time saving system which operators use for fingertip control over their large-format printer’s finely segmented print bed vacuum. The system provides fast and 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 (RTR) printers.
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 the 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 and convenient, with tedious masking work largely eliminated.