Epson has introduced three new variants on some of its existing printheads, including the S3200 and the D3000, with the effect of expanding the fluid range that these heads can handle.
The new D3000-U1R builds on the existing D3000 A1R, which was first announced in 2022 and is mainly intended for use in single-pass inkjet presses. Whereas the A1R version was designed for aqueous inks, the new U1R head is compatible with UV inks. Epson appears to be primarily aiming for the digital label printing market, where UV inks are still widespread. The head is also said to be suitable for the commercial printing and packaging markets, though these areas are both dominated mainly by water-based inks.
Otherwise, the D3000-U1R head shares the same basic characteristics as the existing A1R version. Its headline feature is fluid recirculation down to close to the nozzles. It boasts 2950 nozzles and offers up to 1200 dpi resolution for one color, but can also be configured with two channels of 600 dpi each. The new version appears to have the same electronic and fluid connections, so it should be trivial for customers using the A1R model to start working with the new U1-R version. Epson will release further specifications on this head later this summer.
Epson originally quoted speeds of 75mpm at 1200 dpi, but is now saying that both the A1R and U1R have a target speed of 80mpm. Paddy O’Hara, head of printhead sales for Epson Europe, adds the caveat, “But, of course, it depends on the ink and the integration detail. We have some OEMS using higher speeds and some lower.”
The other two printheads are both second-generation variants of the S3200. These heads are based around four of Epson’s PrecisionCore Micro Thin Film Piezo chips. Each of those chips has two rows of 400 nozzles, or 800 in total. That gives 3200 nozzles in total, with the four chips arranged in an S-shape, hence the S3200 name. They typically offer 600 npi resolution but can be configured with two ink channels of 300 npi each.
Epson has been offering the S3200 heads to other OEMs since 2019, so it is no surprise that there are already multiple versions of these printheads, able to handle different fluids and drop sizes, and that they are widely used in a variety of different printing applications.
The latest variants are the U1-2 and U3-2, and are both drop-in replacements for the current U1 and U2, respectively. They are designed to work with UV-curable inks, with the older versions widely used mainly in labeling and some packaging presses. O’Hara notes, “From this we have listened to our OEMs’ feedback and experience in real world applications and made improvements and enhancements to the products where needed.”
So these second-generation versions have mainly benefited from improvements to the internal structure to allow the heads to handle a wider range of UV inks. This, in turn, should make the heads suitable for a wider application range.
All inks contain a variety of different chemicals, each chosen for specific properties such as improved jettability, longer shelf life, or resistance to some element of the intended operating environment. Some of these substances can be more corrosive than others and can eat away at the internal structure of a printhead – which is a considerable challenge for all the printhead vendors. All the head manufacturers constantly test new ink formulations, and as each head becomes more mature, it’s not uncommon to find multiple versions of that head, each designed to handle such substances, which appears to be the case here.
O’Hara concludes, “The new versions will have the same form, fit and function as the original versions, and we will continue to manufacture and sell both variants to our OEMS in the immediate and medium term at least.”
All of these new printheads should be available later this year, with the two S3200 variants slated for August and the D3000-U1R for the autumn.
