Kyocera Launches New High-Viscosity Inkjet Printhead

Kyocera Corporation has developed a new industrial inkjet printhead capable of reliably ejecting high-viscosity materials, enabling expanded use of inkjet technology in manufacturing processes such as painting and additive manufacturing that were previously constrained by fluid handling limitations. The development addresses challenges in on-demand material deposition and supports industrial digital supply chain workflows by improving process flexibility and reducing waste.

Background and Technical Advances
Inkjet printing in industrial contexts is valued for precise, on-demand deposition of functional fluids, enabling high material utilization and lean workflows. However, conventional printheads typically handle low-viscosity inks, limiting their applicability in processes requiring higher viscosities, such as paints or certain polymer resins used in tooling and 3D printing. Kyocera’s new printhead uses a proprietary piezo actuator structure and optimized fluid channel design to overcome these constraints, enabling stable jetting of materials at viscosities of 80 mPa·s and higher with droplets up to 20 times larger than those handled by previous generations of similar devices. This capability broadens industrial inkjet applicability for materials that were difficult to process with earlier technologies.

Design and Performance Characteristics
The printhead integrates 1,584 nozzles arranged to support high throughput at industrial resolution (360 dpi × 360 dpi) over an effective print width of approximately 111.7 mm. The proprietary piezoelectric bend-mode actuator generates sufficient jetting force for high-viscosity fluids, while the fluid channel geometry, refined through simulation, stabilizes flow for consistent droplet formation under industrial conditions. Under Kyocera’s evaluation conditions, the printhead jets fluids at 80 mPa·s with a drop volume of around 280 pL. These specifications indicate significant headroom for handling complex fluids used in advanced manufacturing and coating applications.

Relevance to Manufacturing and Coating Processes
By enabling reliable inkjet jetting of high-viscosity materials, the technology opens opportunities in automotive decorative coatings, where traditional spray or mask-based processes are labor-intensive and generate significant overspray waste. In additive manufacturing, the ability to deposit pastes and resins with larger droplets and higher viscosities facilitates tooling creation and component prototyping with reduced material consumption. Both areas benefit from tighter integration of intelligent production systems and real-time process control inherent in a digital supply chain, where flexible deposition technologies support rapid changeovers and traceable manufacturing data.

Technical Use Cases and Benefits
In automotive painting applications, the new printhead allows precise, localized deposition of decorative or functional coatings, reducing reliance on masking and blasting processes, and potentially improving color consistency while cutting material waste. In 3D printing for tooling and component fabrication, the ability to jet higher viscosity resins and pastes expands the repertoire of printable materials and can shorten prototyping cycles. These capabilities contribute to reduced material inventory, minimized environmental impact through waste reduction, and enhanced process planning as part of a broader digital manufacturing ecosystem.

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