HP have announced that Ingenieurgruppe Flösser is using its HP Designjet 4520 HD-MFP to deliver highly accurate printouts of architectural plans, to visualise and analyse its customers’ architectural designs.

Based in Bad Säckingen, Germany, architectural engineering specialist, Ingenieurgruppe Flösser, is employed to assist customers with structural calculations during a building’s design process, to ensure that they withstand the stresses of their intended use. The HP Designjet 4520 HD-MFP was integrated into the company’s workflow in August 2009, to print the detailed architectural plans that incorporate these design changes, crucial to the safety and stability of the structure.

The first stage in the process is for Ingenieurgruppe Flösser to analyse the supplied architectural plans, and establish the thickness required for the walls and ceilings of the proposed structure. The company then prints the amended plans and returns them to the client.

Following client approvals, the plans are then sent back to Ingenieurgruppe Flösser and the company distributes them to the people involved in the project.

Günter Schmidt, CAD designer engineer, Ingenieurgruppe Flösser, said, “Within each plan printed, there is a scale of lines varying in thickness, indicating what is being represented in the plans, for example a certain section of the building or different view. The thinnest lines in the plan show dimensions such as distance and length of structural elements. It is, therefore, critical that the plans are printed accurately, so as to clearly communicate changes to the structure’s design. The implications of inaccurate prints could be catastrophic to the structural safety of the building being designed, but we are confident that we can rely upon the exceptional line accuracy achievable with the HP Designjet 4520.”

With HP inks and printheads, the HP Designjet 4520 MFP can achieve 0.1% line accuracy and high-quality colour reproduction for detailed images. The HP Designjet 4520 MFP also features high print speeds and a high print capacity for maximum productivity. At Ingenieurgruppe Flösser, this capability enables them to cope with the demands of a busy practice, requiring the production of more than 70 plans a day.

“The HP Designjet 4520 is very reliable and we have also been very impressed with its low ink and energy consumption, which makes it a more cost-effective solution than our previous printing system.

“Prior to installing the HP Designjet 4520, we compared HP to its competitors and their products, and, in addition to the superior efficiency and quality of the printer itself, HP also led the way when it came to customer service. During the extensive six-month test period and since then, HP and reseller, Obergfell, have provided superb technical support, delivering the information and help we needed quickly, and understanding our company’s specific needs. This seems to be unique to HP and was certainly one of the deciding factors when choosing to install HP products within our business,” says Günter Schmidt.

(1) +/-0.1% of the specified vector length or +/-0.1mm (whichever greater) at 73°F (23°C), 50-60% relative humidity, on E/A0 printing material in best or normal mode with HP matte film.