Seiko Instruments, IdeeGo and Actega have worked together to demonstrate a new water-based varnish for industrial applications, shown in partnership with recirculating printhead technology.
Seiko develops and manufactures inkjet printheads and thermal printers, while Actega develops and produces speciality coatings, inks, adhesives and sealing compounds with a focus on the packaging, printing and medical industries. IdeeGo is a machine manufacturer that has now ventured into inkjet integration.
A roll-to-roll demo unit provided by IdeeGo was shown on the Seiko stand at InPrint, featuring the Seiko RC1536 recirculating printhead running the water-based varnish. An adphos NIR curing unit was also involved in the demonstration.
The water-based varnish has been developed especially by Actega to be finely tuned to Seiko´s RC1536 printheads.
The varnish concept has been designed from the ground up to work later in real industrial situations and has been put through tests such as abrasion and scratch resistance, adhesion and more. Additionally a careful choice of materials has been made to match the Swiss Ordinance, Nestle Guidance Note and other laws to venture out into the food packaging market and provide an option for integrators and machine developers alike.
The recirculation system of the Seiko RC1536 printhead is located directly behind the nozzles and allows a wide range of viscosities to be printed to give complete and consistently reliable coverage.
The covered drop volume range of 13-225pL supports the finest gradations and builds a durable structure in the ink layer that is not only haptic but also protective at the same time, noted Seiko.
‘With this new development the RC1536 has truly become a universal printhead, which can print all types of fluids, be they UV-, oil-, solvent- or even water-based,’ Seiko said in a statement.
Global Inkjet Systems (GIS) has expanded its product portfolio to include flexible drive electronics for the Seiko RC1536 printhead.
