Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto) has developed a new inkjet print head that uses ink recirculation technology at the nozzle. The print head will be available in May 2025, and it achieves high-resolution printing and high productivity through Kyocera's unique flow channel design technology. It supports a variety of applications, including labels, and is compatible with UV inks.
Kyocera KJ4A-EX1200-RC Main Features
1. Ink recirculation at the nozzle enables stable printing.
2. High resolution of 1200 dpi and improved productivity through high drive frequency to optimize production efficiency.
3. High print quality is achieved through Kyocera's unique single-chip piezoelectric actuator.
* Piezoelectric actuator: a dedicated component that uses the piezoelectric effect of fine ceramics to generate inkjet power
Development Background
The advantages of digital printing are that it can be printed instantly and in any quantity, customized while reducing environmental impact by eliminating liquid waste generated during plate cleaning. As a result, the demand for digital printing (including inkjet printing) is rapidly expanding from traditional paper media to new applications such as textiles, labels, food-grade packaging, and building materials.
As these applications for inkjet printheads continue to expand, the diversification of inks is also increasing. In addition to increased speed, high-resolution images, and high durability, printheads that can handle a wide range of inks are required. In the label printing market, in particular, there is an increasing emphasis on fine printing in various languages and fine printing details such as smooth gradients. The ink drop volume needs to be optimized to achieve high resolution and high density, and the printing speed needs to continue to increase.
The robust design of Kyocera's printheads enables stable, continuous printing, thereby increasing productivity in industrial printing jobs. As a result, Kyocera will lead the digitalization of the printing industry by reducing operator workload, increasing labor efficiency, and improving environmental impact.
Kyocera KJ4A-EX1200-RC Printhead Features
1. Ink recirculation at the nozzle enables stable printing.
Kyocera's unique technology circulates ink around the nozzle, achieving stable printing by evenly controlling the temperature and suppressing the precipitation of ink components. These features allow stable printing with a variety of inks while reducing routine maintenance such as cleaning the print head when restarting the printer. In addition, a water cooling system*2 is a standard specification of this product, and the water cooling mechanism evens out the print head temperature, ensuring continuous printing and maintaining stable print quality.
* The driver board mounted on the printhead is cooled by heat conduction.
2. High resolution of 1200 dpi and improved printing speed and drive frequency to optimize productivity.
In addition to the resolution increase to 1200 dpi, the drive frequency and printing speed have also been improved compared to Kyocera's 600 dpi printhead. The new model optimizes high resolution and productivity to meet the needs of the label market.
3. High print quality achieved through Kyocera's unique monolithic piezoelectric actuator*1.
Kyocera has developed a large monolithic piezoelectric actuator using proprietary material design technology for high-density polycrystalline ceramic actuators and manufacturing technology for thin piezoelectric ceramic substrates. Kyocera has introduced this piezoelectric actuator in a 1200 dpi printhead with UV ink (width: 116 mm x depth: 34 mm x thickness: 0.04 mm). By using a large monolithic piezoelectric actuator, the printhead delivers uniform images and higher print quality.
Kyocera will contribute to the sustainable development of the global printing industry by expanding the possibilities of digital printing through its advanced technology.
