Kyocera Corporation has developed an inkjet printhead capable of handling high-viscosity materials for industrial applications. This breakthrough is enabled by Kyocera’s proprietary new piezo actuator and fluid channel technology.
This is a picture of the prototype >150 nozzle printhead
The new printhead is expected to expand the use of inkjet technology in a wide range of industrial applications, including advanced manufacturing processes, painting and 3D printing, which have been difficult to address using conventional inkjet technology.
Increasingly, inkjet technology is attracting more attention as an innovative manufacturing process in fields such as electronic circuits, semiconductor production lines, and additive manufacturing. In addition, in automotive painting applications, efforts to develop practical inkjet processes are underway to enable more creative designs, reduce labour in masking processes and minimise paint loss.
Against this backdrop, Kyocera has developed technology that enables the stable jetting of high-viscosity materials. By leveraging the conventional piezoelectric bend mode, Kyocera has developed a proprietary new piezo actuator structure that enhances jetting force. Kyocera has also optimised the fluid channel design by leveraging proprietary fluid simulations.
These advancements now enable the stable jetting of high-viscosity materials - up to 16 times higher than Kyocera’s conventional technology - and droplets up to 20 times larger. As a result, the technology enables expansion into a wide range of industrial applications, including painting and 3D printing, which were previously difficult to address with inkjet technology.
