Kyocera Launches Inkjet Printhead "KJ4B-EX600-RC" with Ink Recirculation

Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto) has developed a new inkjet printhead with ink recirculation technology at the nozzle. Available in April 2024, the new KJ4B-EX600-RC (hereinafter "printhead") achieves industry-leading productivity*1 over a wide range of printing applications, including textiles, corrugated board, and building materials, and is compatible with a wide range of inks.

Inkjet Printhead"KJ4B-EX600-RC"

*2: Piezo actuator: specialized component that generates ink-jetting power using the piezoelectric effect of fine ceramics

Development Background

Digital printing offers the advantage of immediate, customizable printing in any quantity while reducing environmental impact by eliminating the liquid waste that occurs in plate-cleaning processes. As a result, the demand for digital printing, including inkjet printing, is rapidly expanding from traditional paper media into new applications such as textiles, food-grade packaging, and building materials.

In recent years, ink formulations have been diversified to increase productivity and accommodate a wider range of applications. Consequently, demand is rising for printheads that can handle a wider variety of inks at higher speeds while offering better print resolutions and enhanced durability. Furthermore, realizing stable jetting with maximum drop volume is also an important factor for printing, mainly in textile and corrugated board applications.

The robust design of Kyocera's printhead technology allows stable, continuous printing to enhance productivity in industrial printing operations. As a result, Kyocera will lead the digitization of the printing industry by reducing the workload of operators and improving labor efficiency.

Features

1. Ink recirculation at the nozzle allows compatibility with a wider variety of inks, including fast-drying inks, over a wider range of applications.

Kyocera's unique technology recirculates ink around the nozzle, which prevents nozzle drying, while promoting temperature uniformity and inhibiting ink sedimentation. These features allow stable printing with various kinds of inks, including fast-drying formulations, while reducing routine maintenance, such as printhead cleaning when rebooting a printer. This new printhead also incorporates a water cooling system*3 as a standard feature, enhancing stability in continuous, high-speed, high-quality printing.

*3: Heat-transfer method to cool the driving board installed on the printhead.

Ink Recirculation Technology

Water cooling system

2. Higher productivity through high driving frequency and greater maximum drop volume.

By optimizing the ink-flow-channel design and printhead structure, the maximum drop volume of ink ejected from nozzles has been increased to 14 pL, about 17% greater than the previous model at a driving frequency of 40 kHz, with improved jetting stability. With a wide effective printing width of 108.3mm, Kyocera's printhead achieves high precision and industry-leading productivity*1.

3. High print quality through Kyocera's unique monolithic piezo actuator*2.

Kyocera has developed a large monolithic piezoelectric actuator, using proprietary material design technology for dense polycrystalline ceramic actuators, and manufacturing technology for thin piezoelectric ceramic substrates. Kyocera has now optimized and adopted the technology for this printhead (width: 116mm x depth: 21mm x thickness: 0.04mm). By using a large monolithic piezoelectric actuator, Kyocera has achieved uniform image quality within the printhead and higher print quality.

Monolithic piezoelectric actuator

4. High durability achieved through a simple and robust flow-channel structure with stainless steel lamination.

Adopting a monolithic piezoelectric actuator increases design flexibility and results in a simple and robust structure. This provides improved strength and structural stability for enhanced durability.

Through its advanced technologies, Kyocera will expand the possibilities of digital printing and contribute to the sustainability of the global printing industry.