Global players join hands to promote sustainable printing

Namrata Sharma, founder of Global Print Konnect, said, “This strategic partnership is a perfect example of collaboration, exploration and inspiration. It will take the Indian print industry to new heights and unlock new opportunities. All the members are known for their limitless potential and innovations, and have come together to ensure that they will shape the future of printing.”

Seiko, a forerunner watch-maker is now utilising its precision manufacturing know-how in the printing market. The company with a a more than USD 2-billion turnover is building a foundation in the inkjet printing market by employing collaboration and developing a new ecosystem. “We are launching the all-new RCH1536 in the Indian market. It is the world’s first metal nozzle plate printhead with shear-mode technology. Robustly designed for industrial applications with challenging environments and improved up times with nozzle level recirculation.” Aliasgar Eranpurwala, head of department for inkjet printheads for Seiko, said.

Eranpurwala added, “Seiko engineers have put their blood and sweat to perfect the metal nozzle plate, ‘explaining: finding the right thickness of the nozzle plate, finding the right materials, finding the right glues – it was a lot of work.’ Engineers have given the printhead a more industrial look. It has a metal nozzle plate which is easier to clean. It is one of the features which improves durability and the long-lasting nature of the printhead. The new head has an electronic interface which will let the customers expand their canvas by printing uniformly across the 108.3mm print width. As the name implies, the head contains 1,536 nozzles, which are arranged in four rows, with 384 nozzles per row, this equates to 360-dpi resolution. Seiko is now focusing on strengthening the ceramics, table wear, textiles, corrugated and cardboard market, for which the company is all set to launch some more exciting technologies during Drupa 2024. These new launches will boost the wide-format and embellishment market. 

“With the advancements in the market, Seiko has worked closely with adhesive manufacturers to find the glues that are not only compatible with the existing range of fluids being used today but are also compatible with a wider range of fluids required by today’s inkjet industry. Ensuring the similar mechanical strength needed to keep the micro-mechanical structures in place was another challenge during the selection process.” Eranpurwala added

Roberto Campos of People & Technology said , “We are fully focused on quality not price. We cannot compromise with the quality as it is in the DNA of our company. The quality of printing is what attracts customers. Neither we refurbish nor do we repair printheads because it is kind of a bargain with quality. If a printhead is mechanically or electrically damaged, repairing is not viable. Preventive and palliative are two ways of working in productive maintenance. We believe preventive is the right one as it will take you a long way, whereas most of people keep working in palliative mode as they don’t care about quality and it is a waste of money and effort.”

“Incompatibility with the ink, using low-quality or expired ink, badly shaken inks, water-based inks which dry faster and working in a dirty environment are some of the reasons why nozzles get clogged. We are committed to developing the hardware and software technologies to solve such issues. Our solidity and evolution are demonstrated with a sustained growth of 10% annually over the last eight years and currently, we are serving in many countries across the globe,” he added

David Heath, industrial inkjet consultant for Meteor Inkjet, said, “Meteor, a company having a customer base in more than 44 countries worldwide is dedicated to solving the issues of its customers. Meteor continuously develops its hardware and software to support new and existing industrial printheads. Innovation and improvement to Meteor’s hardware offerings mean customers have more flexibility in printhead choice and can be the first to market with new industrial solutions. Meteor currently has customers from the ceramic, labelling, textiles, packaging, product decoration, signs and display, functional and 3D and commercial printing.” 

 Francois Aguilar, chief commercial officer, Kao, said, “Together, we all are moving on the road which is less or not yet travelled to set the new trend in the industry and Indian market. Kao, which has businesses in 5 major segments (cosmetics, Health, Life, Hygiene care and Chemicals) and a full R&D dedicated team around the world is what makes it a trustable partner. Kao is also working effectively and efficiently to solve polymer and dispersions-related issues. We are also one of the greatest chemical producers (fragrance, oleo, surfactants, toner, resins and inks) for cosmetic, Personal care, and technical applications products and covering also the printing industry with applications like packaging and labelling, furniture and flooring, coating, varnish, commercial printing, signage, outdoor advertising and textile industry.”

He added, “The company is working to develop new technologies which can tackle the problems and make working easy. There are many new products in the pipeline. Some are to be launched or showcased at Drupa 2024, one of them is thermo-switching polymers. In polymer science research, Kao has employed a combination of surface chemistry and polymer synthesis technologies to create many unique materials, such as surface-active polymers, surface-modified polymers, and also hydrogels.”

Marc Granero, inkjet sales manager, Kao, said, “We are committed to making 100% recyclable products and eco-friendly ink, which gets dissolved in water at a certain temperature, and it will be a first of its kind”

“Right drop at the right time at the right place is the formula which decides the quality of printing. At Trijet, we are focused on developing the techniques which can allow customers to follow this equation with our amazing products like Tripav, Tripav 2.0, Trimaster and others. Trijet is an engineering consulting firm specialising in the field of inkjet printing and coating. Trijet has been consulting with clients actively since 2011. Mainly in Europe, America and Asia providing bespoke solutions in all aspects of inkjet printing and coatings. We believe in maintaining a positive mindset, creating partnerships with a purpose, and always striving for significant outcomes”. Tuladhar concluded.