Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) today announced that it will launch an inkjet printhead featuring a new, highly robust design for textile printing. For use as a key component in inkjet printers, the company will start mass production this month.

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KJ4B-0300-G06DS inkjet printhead (Photo: Business Wire)

The textile industry is experiencing unprecedented demand for digital technologies, which eliminates the printing plate and allows for the immediate printing of only the required amount of ink, contributing not only to increased productivity and cost reduction, but also a reduction in environmental burden, as plate-washing waste is not generated in the production process. At the same time, there is a growing need for inkjet printheads which can withstand severe conditions associated with textile printing, such as fabric being caught or device errors occurring from shocks when feeding the fabric. Furthermore, the scattering of ink mist or fabric dust can result in malfunctions when entering the printhead.

In order to meet this need, Kyocera developed a new, highly robust design which enhances printheads for use under the harsh conditions of textile printing. Furthermore, the product offers the advantage of simultaneous two-color printing with one printhead, contributing to equipment downsizing. It also features the world’s widest^*1 effective print width of 112mm (approx. 4 inches), which simplifies equipment design and maintenance by further reducing the number of printheads.

Kyocera already mass-produces inkjet printheads for textile printing which offer world-class levels of high print speeds with high resolution. By launching a robustly designed printhead, Kyocera addresses a multitude of market demands, thus expanding the possibilities of the digital printing industry.

Details of the Robust Design ^*2

1. Basic structure
Features a highly rigid metal nozzle plate, side guards with enhanced shock resistance and a protected structure to prevent invasion of ink mists.

2. High temperature durability
Withstands temperatures between -20 to 80°C confirmed by Kyocera’s temperature durability tests.

3. High driving durability
Durable and can operate even when dipped in high-temperature reactive ink, confirmed by continuous acceleration tests (1,500 continuous hours of actuator operation dipped in ink with a temperature of 70°C equivalent to typical usage of more than two years).

*1 World’s widest effective print width for inkjet printheads for textile printing. Based on research by Kyocera (as of October 1, 2015).
*2 Assuming the severe operation environments in textile printing, Kyocera conducted nine reliability tests including drops, vibrations, shocks, thermal loads, electronic loads, dipping in ink and driving durability. Product features were confirmed under test conditions; full operation cannot be guaranteed under all actual conditions. Furthermore, the test results do not fully guarantee damage-free or trouble-free operations.

For more info about Kyocera Printing Devices, please visit:
http://global.kyocera.com/prdct/printing-devices/index.html

About KYOCERA

Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of printing devices, printers, copiers, solar power generating systems, mobile phones, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2015, the company’s net sales totaled 1.53 trillion yen (approx. USD12.7 billion). Kyocera appears on the latest listing of the “Top 100 Global Innovators” by Thomson Reuters, and is ranked #552 on Forbes magazine’s 2015 “Global 2000” listing of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.