FUJIFILM Dimatix Adds Aqueous Capability to StarFire Family with Performance Printhead for Textile Printing and Decorating

New 1024-channel StarFire™ SG-1024/M-A delivers superior jetting performance and flexibility for the most widely used dye and pigment based ink formulations with heavy colorant concentrations and fast drying characteristics.

(Photo: Business Wire)

MUMBAI, India--()--At Inkjet Forum India here today, FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. introduced the StarFire SG-1024/M-A printhead, the latest addition to its popular 1024-channel StarFire printhead family and one that delivers superior ink jetting performance and flexibility for textile printing and decorating applications.

The company’s new SG-1024/M-A printhead shares the StarFire family features of a robust and repairable construction with a high nozzle density in a compact package suited for demanding scanning and single-pass applications.

Designed for easy integration, the compact and self-contained StarFire SG-1024/M-A is built to withstand the harsh environment of industrial textile production. The printhead uses field-proven materials to deliver consistent and reliable output over a long service life, while an enhanced single durable metal nozzle plate allows the SG-1024 M/A to accommodate aqueous-based and UV-curable and Solvent inks needed for digital textile printing and a variety of other applications. Designed to withstand abrasion, the metal nozzle plate is replaceable.

The StarFire SG-1024/M-A combines superior jetting performance with a high nozzle packing density to achieve single-color operation delivering 400 dots-per-inch resolution with fluids in the 8 to 20 centipoise range. The 1024 independent channels on the StarFire SG-1024/M-A printhead are arranged in eight rows on the nozzle plate. Each channel can be fired simultaneously or individually while maintaining excellent channel-to-channel uniformity and jetting straightness at continuous frequencies up to 35 kHz.

As part of the StarFire family, the new printhead incorporates FUJIFILM Dimatix' innovative RediJet™ jetting technology, which is combined with the company’s patented VersaDrop™ multipulsing technology to shorten startup and ongoing maintenance times, and deliver high-accuracy, industrial-speed variable-drop jetting and grayscale printing.

RediJet technology encompasses several innovations including nozzle plate design, special surface coatings, enhanced on-head electronics, continuous ink recirculation at the nozzle and waveforms tailored to specific ink requirements.

“These attributes are particularly important for jetting dye and pigment based aqueous ink formulations with heavier colorant concentrations and fast-drying characteristics essential for high-speed single-pass digital textile printing and decorating,” explained Russ Brown, Manager of OEM Printheads.

“Together, they unlock the full productive capacity of the StarFire SG-1024/M-A printhead while lowering recurring service costs by minimizing initial start-up and ongoing maintenance times and associated fluids,” said Brown.

“VersaDrop technology increases the flexibility of the StarFire SG-1024/-M-A printhead by expanding its fundamental drop size to over 80 picoliters for broader ink coverage and full grayscale printing for job components requiring more tonal expression or higher color saturation, all without penalty to productivity,” he concluded.

StarFire printheads are also designed with precise registration points enabling drop-in alignment with system-provided mounting features. This design allows multiple printheads to be accurately arrayed into print bars for wide-width, higher-resolution and multi-color printing devices; it also reduces set-up and alignment costs during replacement or exchange.

About FUJIFILM Dimatix

FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc., the world's leading supplier of drop-on-demand inkjet printheads for industrial applications, is driving a revolution in inkjet technology to support a new generation of products for printing, industrial product decoration and materials deposition. The company's innovative inkjet technology and world-class fabrication techniques enable OEMs, system integrators and manufacturers to build cutting-edge systems and manufacturing processes for high-performance, precision printing of traditional inks and deposition of functional fluids on all types of surfaces, including flexible substrates.

A wholly owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation, FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc. is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and maintains U.S. product development and manufacturing operations in California and New Hampshire. The company sells and supports its products worldwide through offices in the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Singapore. For more information, visit www.dimatix.com.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 10 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2011, and in the year ended March 31, 2012, had global revenues of $27.8 billion*. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit www.fujifilmholdings.com.

* At an exchange rate of 79 yen to the dollar.

Editors note: To obtain a high resolution photo of the StarFire SG-1024/M-A printhead, please contact Sue DeHavens at sdehavens@dimatix.com.

Contacts

FUJIFILM Dimatix
Edward Chrusciel, 603-443-5364
echrusciel@dimatix.com

Contacts

FUJIFILM Dimatix
Edward Chrusciel, 603-443-5364
echrusciel@dimatix.com