Ricoh Company has released three newly developed industrial-grade inkjet printheads - the Ricoh MH5422, Ricoh MH5442, and Ricoh MH5422 Type A – which support all types of inks: UV, water-based and solvent.
RICOH MH5422
The new printheads provide high image quality and productivity by utilizing Ricoh's high-precision technology, Ricoh said. “They feature a wide range of ink compatibility and improved durability through enhanced nozzle surface abrasion resistance. Ricoh has also improved system compatibility by applying separate cables and high-precision surface alignment features.
“These printheads are positioned as an enhanced addition to the Ricoh MH5320/5340 product family, the sixth generation of Ricoh inkjet printheads released in 2019. The new printheads inheriting the sixth generation's technology, enable users to select the inkjet printheads that are most compatible with their needs. Customers using the existing RICOH MH5420/5440 (released in 2012) and RICOH MH5421/5441 (released in 2017) can easily upgrade their printers to this printhead while maintaining existing print quality with the same droplet volume.”
Ricoh noted an increasing demand for inkjet printheads compatible with a wide range of inks. “Digital printing continues to expand into a broader range of fields and accelerate resource-saving, labour-saving and local production for local consumption. In the industrial printing market, the number of customers involved in digital printing continues to increase and is expanding to include sign graphics, textiles, and building material decoration and ornamentation.”
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| Ricoh MH5442 (two colour model) |
Features of the new inkjet printheads:
1. High-quality printing and high productivity
In addition to a nozzle layout of 1,280 nozzles, 150 npi × 4 rows, and a standard droplet volume of 7pl, the new printhead achieves high image quality printing by improving the accuracy and uniformity of the droplet ejection speed and direction. Ricoh has also improved the stability of high firing frequency, and a firing frequency of up to 50 kHz provides increased productivity.
2. Enhanced ink compatibility
Supports all types of inks: UV, water-based, and solvent. In particular, when using water-based ink, product durability has more than doubled compared to their predecessor, RICOH MH 5421/5441 (released in 2017).
3. Enhanced abrasion resistance of the nozzle surface
Strength of the ink repellent film improved compared to conventional printheads. This reduces the nozzle plate's deterioration against repeated wiping and provides stable image quality even after extended use.
4. Improved system compatibility
Print head alignment is available in two configurations: the pin-alignment compatible model or a high-precision surface-alignment compatible model for easy alignment for system integration and field service replacement. In addition, the separate cable structure with a general-purpose connector increases the flexibility for attaching and detaching the printhead.
