Kyocera sets new mark with piezo inkjet head
21 Dec 2020 11:18

The Japanese developer has announced a new high-resolution head that is 25% faster than the KJ4 heads it currently supplies.

Kyocera has released a new high-speed inkjet printhead, taking the resolution of the KJ4B series of piezo printheads to 1200dpi. The KJ4B EX 1200 operates with aqueous inks and has a new design of pixel actuator to improve consistency and resilience.

The head is aimed at a wide variety of applications with a focus on graphics, says Kyocera. It is the second printhead released this year with new large integrated actuator design, following on from the 600dpi KJ4B EX 600 released in April.

The new models also include recirculating systems and run at 80MHz, a 25% speed increase on the existing KJ4B and KJ4A printheads that are widely used in print applications from large format graphics to narrow web label printing. Users include Domino on the N610 (though not on the latest machine which has heads from parent company Brother Industries) and Canon for the ProStream.

According to Kyocera, the new head will achieve speeds of 100m/min in 1200dpi resolution. The standard KJB 1200 will deliver 80m/min. The new head will fire smaller drops, 1.5pl compared to 2.5pl, resulting in drop sizes of 21 microns on the substrate compared to 25 microns at 1200dpi, raising the possibility of improved image quality.

The head is designed for water cooling to maintain a stable temperature inside the printhead and thus consistent firing of the nozzles. The single large actuator will also help produce consistency of firing across the nozzles in a printhead, the company says.

The development comes as Kyocera begins the roll out of its own TasKalfa Pro 15000 cut sheet printer in European markets. The first UK user, Document Despatch, installed its machine in the summer with further deliveries already underway. This first machine is aimed at transitional and mailing applications using uncoated papers. Future developments are expected to exploit the potential of the print head and to address a broader range of applications.

Prepared on the basis of information from Kyocera