Ricoh Europe and Durst are extending their existing collaboration, announcing a €50million printhead technology deal.
Durst already uses Ricoh Gen 5 inkjet printheads in its Alpha textile printing systems as well as its P5 series of wide-format machines. Now, as part of the new deal, Ricoh printheads will be further developed for use with upcoming Durst printing systems.
Both companies say that they share a commitment to delivering long-life performance and have been collaborating more and more closely over recent years, especially over the Alpha series of textile printing technology.
Going forward the businesses will look to develop printheads and printers to open up new markets and produce emerging applications. They will also explore new ways to use inkjet technologies to operate more sustainability.
‘The partnership will allow us to develop our printheads in a more focused way with real-world requirements,’ said Christian Compera, global general manager of Ricoh’s Industrial Print Business. ‘Often there can be a high level of protectiveness surrounding printhead intellectual property, materials and printhead production technologies as well as ink formulations. By bringing together the Ricoh and Durst development teams, we share the goal of continuously improving the entire printing system, which ultimately benefits customers.’
Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of the Durst Group, added, ‘This deal reaffirms and continues a collaborative approach with Ricoh. Extending our partnership with Ricoh enables us to achieve a faster time-to-market for new printing systems, as we work together on the perfect interaction of printheads inks and substrates. Not only does this allow us to achieve maximum print quality and performance but also to guarantee reliability for extended printer life. It gives our customers a clear basis for their investment decisions, without the risk factor of the printhead.’
