The aluminum overlay sheet on the surface of the printer table creates a vacuum field, which can be divided into zones. When the printer is shipped, a single zone equal to the maximum media size is available. Vacuum zones can be configured in the field to meet specific customer requirements for media sizes. This section describes suggested custom zones that support common media sizes but they must be installed either during printer installation or later by a service technician. The recommended zones described here are either in Metric or Imperial dimensions, according to operator preference.
The vacuum control handles are used to manage the custom vacuum zones. When you create custom zones, the three control valves determine what zones will have vacuum applied when the table vacuum pump is turned on. The left handle controls Zone 1, the middle controls Zone 2 and the right controls Zone 3. The vacuum zones are open when the handles are vertical. To close a zone, turn the control handle a quarter turn clockwise.
The vacuum system holds the media in place. The suggested custom zones described in this section are arranged to accommodate common media dimensions. If you have custom zones, they can be turned off or on according to where media is placed.
If the suggested custom zones on your printer do not match with media sizes that you use frequently, it is possible to change the layout of the zones to suit your particular purpose. This helps to minimize the use of masking tape and placement of scrap media that will not be printed on when the media size does not match exactly with the zone size.
Custom Metric Vacuum Zones
The following shows the media dimensions that are available with the recommended metric vacuum zones. The name of the zone indicates which vacuum handle controls that zone.
Vacuum zone 1 = 700 x 1000 mm
Vacuum zone 3 = 1400 x 1000 mm
Vacuum zone 1, 2, & 3 = 2500 x 1250 mm
Common Metric Vacuum zonesCustom Imperial Vacuum Zones
The following shows the media dimensions that are available with the recommended Imperial vacuum zones. The name of the zone indicates which vacuum handle controls that zone.
Vacuum zone 1 = 36 x 48 inches
Vacuum zone 3 = 36 x 48 inches
Vacuum zone 2 = 24 x 48 inches
Vacuum zone 1, 2, & 3 = 96 x 48 inches
Common Imperial Vacuum zones