New variants of Epson’s eco-solvent SureColor SC-S series printers that use larger ink pouches were announced at Fespa, as was a strategy to increase the number of OEM and other outlets for the company’s printhead technology. An application for printing on synthetic leather was also demonstrated.

Aimed at high-volume users, the SureColor SC-S60600L and SC-S80600L 1.6m (64-in) roll-fed signage printers use new 1.5l GS3 Ultrachrome ink pouches which reduce time spent on topping up supplies and maintenance as well as reducing ink packaging waste. Both machines will be supplied with the Epson Edge RIP and LFP Accounting Tool software. The former includes an expanding library of media profiles, while the latter provides accurate job costing data.

An application printing on Ecotex synthetic leather with SureColor SC-S printers was demonstrated at Fespa. Dedicated software for the application, written by Dev Studio, was also featured. Richard Barrow, senior product manager – production LFP at Epson, said: ‘Ecotex is an innovative Italian company with years of experience. They provide us with the best synthetic leather solution for the market and offer a range of materials to suit different applications. We have high hopes for this solution and the business opportunities it brings to our customers.’

Epson also announced that it is opening up its printhead business to OEM partners and other third-party ‘collaborators’ to tackle the growing range of industrial applications. This follows the opening in 2018 of a new 47,000sqm manufacturing facility in Japan that increases production capacity by 300% and the introduction of two new printhead models: the Precision Core S3200 and the Micro-Piezo L1440.

Suitable for aqueous, solvent and UV-curable inks, the new printheads offer 300 and 180 nozzles per inch for totals of 3200 and 1440 nozzles respectively in 4.73 and 1-in formats. A 2.65-in 1600-nozzle unit, the Precision Core S1600, will become available later in 2019, as will models that use cavity recirculation rather than the reservoir type currently available. This technology is said to offer increased reliability, wider ink compatibility and easier initial ink charging. The new models are aimed at supporting industrial applications such as high-speed single-pass printing in textiles and packaging, amongst others.

More commentary on this development will appear in the June issue of Digital Printer.