Kyocera launches inkjet printhead with ink recirculation

Kyocera has developed KJ4B-EX1200-RC, a new inkjet printhead with ink recirculation technology at the nozzle designed for compatibility with a wide range of printing applications and a diverse variety of inks.

Kyocera said that 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.

Especially in the commercial printing and package printing markets, new printheads must deliver optimized drop volumes to print not only on traditional high-quality papers but also coated papers and films. In addition, as print speeds continue to increase, faster-drying inks are becoming a key priority, placing new compatibility demands on printheads.

The robust design of Kyocera's printhead technology allows stable, continuous printing to enhance productivity in industrial printing operations.

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.

The new printhead also incorporates a water-cooling system as a standard feature, enhancing stability in continuous, high-speed, high-quality printing.

By optimizing the ink-flow-channel design and printhead structure, the maximum drop volume of ink ejected from nozzles has been increased to 4.0 pL, about 43 percent greater than the previous model at a driving frequency of 80 kHz, with improved jetting stability.

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.

By adopting the same interface as its conventional printhead (KJ4B-1200), Kyocera has reduced the development cost of the driving system and improved device versatility.

Kyocera will exhibit this printhead at the drupa 2024.