Intimate knowledge and experience of inkjet development has allowed Fujifilm to understand the performance requirements needed for inkjet inks.
Now more than ever before, rapid advances in inkjet technology continue to change the way print is produced. After making a household name for itself as the go-to technology for desktop printing, inkjet is now a viable alternative to traditional processes in many wide format, packaging and industrial applications. A key factor in the growth of inkjet has been the ability to print with UV-curing inks - a fast growing technology that is set to dominate these markets with its unbeatable combination of productivity, quality, application range and versatility.
Intimate knowledge and experience of inkjet development has allowed Fujifilm to anticipate and understand the performance requirements for inkjet inks, carefully blending a range of cosmetic, functional and operational properties, to produce inks that are formulated for very precise applications.
Precision is key
As inkjet is a true digital process, the inks have to work perfectly every time, even after months in storage, and so formulations must meet precise performance specifications. Thanks to continuous heavy investment in R&D since Fujifilm launched UV ink technology back in the early 2000s, the company’s chemists have learned a huge amount about UV ink design. Combining print head and performance specifications with in-depth application expertise has allowed Fujifilm to create inks that are tailored to a specific application and optimised to work perfectly with a particular print head. The company has successfully managed to fuse a multitude of conflicting requirements like printed finish, adhesion, flexibility and finishing properties, while controlling particle size, viscosity and surface tension, to produce high performance inks that jet reliably. Inks are rigorously tested in the laboratory and in production environments for jetting reliability, print quality, production performance and weathering to ensure they meet stringent performance and quality assurance standards.
But developments in ink technology in particular are opening up applications and markets outside the traditional graphics sector, with Fujifilm committed to nurturing the increasing number of business opportunities coming from different packaging and industrial areas. Through ongoing research and collaboration with OEM partners, it aims to offer ink solutions that can meet the often more demanding requirements of these sectors and turn them into new revenue streams for forward thinking printers. Packaging, is just one examples of a new fast growing inkjet application area that requires high performance inks. There are other, more industrial applications that haven’t even been explored yet that will rely heavily on the properties of the ink to bring them to commercial fruition. Many of these applications require inks that are formulated to meet a precise performance specification and Fujifilm has the necessary expertise to meet those needs.
As the number one global patent holder in UV inkjet ink technology, Fujifilm’s present success stems from its knowledge of several industries, its experience of designing inks for screen, narrow web and wide format inkjet applications, and the experience it has amassed over decades of listening to its customers and providing products to meet their challenges. This expertise puts it in a unique position to develop ink systems that will expand the versatility of inkjet printing and allow forward thinking printers to break into these new markets. However, it is the ongoing development of UV cured inks in particular that Fujifilm believes will be the key to unlocking these new application areas.
56% more ink
This confidence in the growth and development of UV-cured inks has resulted in Fujifilm opening a brand new digital ink facility at its Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems manufacturing site in Broadstairs, UK in January this year. This facility is the result of an investment of over €4 million, with an additional €2.5 million of further investment in its UK R&D department. The new production facility has a footprint of 1,800m2 and the capacity to manufacture 6,000 tonnes of digital ink per year. It’s built to accommodate a projected annual increase of 56% in the production of UV inkjet ink at the site, manufactured in a range of batch sizes of up to 4000 litres.
Fujifilm is uniquely positioned to push the application boundaries of inkjet technologies, as it is one of only a few companies with head, ink and fundamental technology development expertise in house. Fujifilm Dimatix is the world’s leading inkjet head supplier that offers class leading print heads, and Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems produces some of the world’s best inkjet inks. These businesses are supported by l technology development groups including the Advanced Marking Research Laboratory in Tokyo, Japan and the Fujifilm Cambridge Engineering Facility in the UK. Fujifilm’s ability to combine the skills, experience and technological expertise within these immensely powerful print head and ink technology groups means it is ideally placed to develop the inkjet printing systems of tomorrow and beyond.
Ink – a recipe for success
Colour
A wide colour gamut is critical to enable a printer to accurately reproduce intended colours in the print. Graphics also need to be vibrant for visual appeal and impact.
Reliability
Inks must jet reliably, printing high quality work for long periods with minimal intervention.
Consistency
Inks must be totally consistent, producing the same high quality images and colours in every print and between every manufactured batch.
Performance
Inks must be durable, with properties such as light-fastness and physical adhesion tailored to the specific application of the finished print.
Economy
Inks must allow printers to run their operations in an efficient and cost effective manner, providing their customers with high quality print at a reasonable price.
Thinking outside the box
Building on its heritage in developing screen inks for POP corrugated packaging applications, and as a brand leader with its award winning Uvijet inks for wide format printing, Fujifilm has used its extensive knowledge to develop a set of digital inks (Uvijet OC inks) that can be used for corrugated applications. These produce solid and vibrant colours but can be folded and bent without any cracking.
Alongside these inks, Fujifilkm has introduced a new handling system for the Inca Onset S40i printing platform, which takes into account the requirement to use thinner grade, corrugated materials without any effects on the print surface. The handling system has been designed to take substrates straight to the vacuum bed on the Onset printer without any gripping or squeezing which could leave marks on the outer edge.
Through the combination of printer, inks and handling system, Fujifilm is helping corrugated printers to produce higher class quality work as well as opening up new business opportunities and giving the industry a new standard to work to. This is more evidence of its ability to develop cutting-edge technologies that satisfy market needs.