Epson unveils first printheads with built-in heater

The T3200 has an effective print width of 67.2mm
The T3200 has an effective print width of 67.2mm

Epson is set to launch two new printheads for fast, high-quality signage printing, its first PrecisionCore heads to feature a built-in-heater.

The manufacturer said the new T-Series heads will be available in the second half of the 2021 fiscal year ending March 2022.

The T3200-U3 enables simultaneous four-colour CMYK printing at high speed from a single printhead. Epson said the incorporated heater makes printing with highly viscous UV ink possible, expanding the range of possible applications, particularly within signage and packaging.

The two-colour version, the T1600-U3, will be released to market at the same time.

The T3200 features a precision-processed positioning mechanism that Epson said helps save time and money by removing the need to engineer a mechanism to determine the spacing between printheads or adjust during installation.

Both the T3200 and T1600 heads have an effective print width of 67.2mm and a piezoelectric actuator to enable the ejection of larger ink droplets at higher frequencies. This is said to facilitate faster printing without compromising on image quality or ease of installation.

Epson said the T3200 and T1600 heads can be flexibly arranged to enable customers to develop many different types of printers with different numbers of colours and speeds. For example, the T3200 can be equipped with CMYK ink and the T1600 can be equipped with special inks such as white and varnish.

Epson Europe OEM printhead business development manager Paddy O’Hara told Printweek: “With the launch of the T-Series, we have brought our seventh printhead family to the market since we opened up our technology to integrators worldwide.

“This printhead, specifically designed to be integrated into our customers’ printers, allows even easier integration into multiple applications.

“I expect this highly versatile printhead to be used in both compact multi-pass UV applications and narrow single-pass developments including labels, packaging, and security printing. There are also opportunities in additive manufacturing and functional printing.

“Looking forward, our enhanced printhead line-up has the breadth and depth to answer our customers’ needs and allows us to be a leading supplier in the inkjet printhead field.”

Meteor Inkjet has confirmed it is developing printhead drive electronics and software for the T-Series heads, as well as the new D3000 head, Epson’s first to support ink circulation at the nozzle level.

Meteor sales director Jonathan Wilson said: “Our continued cooperation with Epson will allow our mutual customers to take advantage of everything these new printheads have to offer.

“Meteor’s electronics and software provide the fastest and easiest way for OEMs to unlock the potential of these printheads, allowing print system builders to reduce the effort and risk associated with design and delivery of superior industrial inkjet printers.”