The development took place over 4 months, carried out by the CALIPER team in collaboration with the Factum Arte. Starting as a standard plotter, the machine is then largely dismounted, modifying much of the existing functionality to make it compatible with the flatbed printing format. The internal workings of the machine, source code and command priorities are not made publicly available by the manufacturer, so every function must be thoroughly tested before changes are implemented and tested.
Manual control in the paper feed direction allows the user to return the plotter to a predetermined 0 position in the printing area where a print can be launched in registration with the print medium or a previous layer. The system also allows for the entire plotter to be moved in the Z direction over the print bed to accommodate for materials of varying thicknesses or reliefs. With a print head resolution of up to 2400 x 1200 dpi, the machine is capable of producing incredibly high resolution outputs with precise colour accuracy.
As the second iteration of this printing system we have worked on, the project was developed with support of Factum Arte and Dwight Perry and installed in Austria in October 2021.
Team: Carlos Sanjuan, Quinner Baird, Aitor Goenaga
Photos: Oak Taylor-Smith