Ricoh launches next generation Industrial Inkjet Printheads

Delivering enhanced printing and productivity performance for single pass printing and heavy pigment loaded inks
Vilvoorde, 25 April 2017 – Ricoh today announced the launch of two new Industrial Inkjet Printheads: the RICOH MH5421F and the RICOH MH5421MF. Ricoh will start taking orders for both of these printheads from June 2017.

The RICOH MH5421MF and RICOH MH5421F printheads were designed for both low viscosity (6 mPas) and medium viscosity fluids (11 mPas) respectively. These printheads enable highly stable jetting performance through the incorporation of an ink recirculating structure. This structure enables continuous ink flow directly behind the nozzle, reducing the risk of jetting failure caused by either clogged ink or entrapped air bubbles.  Each printhead has enhanced bonding technology for improved durability. With these new features, the Ricoh MH5421 MF and MH5421F printheads offer enhanced compatibility with a wider range of fluids. These features result in:

• Increased reliability for single-pass printing by delivering improved print quality and productivity
• Increased reliability for systems with rapid setting ink, such as pigment ink, white or metallic materials
• Increased reliability for systems with fast drying ink
• The removal of air bubbles in the ink chamber to achieve  self-recovery from jetting failure

*Single-pass system：the printhead carriage remains in a fixed position and completes image printing in a single pass while the print material is conveyed underneath. 

Products	RICOH MH5421F	RICOH MH5421MF
Number of nozzles	1, 280 staggered	1, 280 staggered
Resolutions	600dpi	600dpi
Drop volume	7/14/21pl (depending on the ink)	7/14/21pl (depending on the ink)
Ink	Aqueous, Solvent, UV	Aqueous, Solvent, UV
Recommended ink viscosity	11 mPa・s＊	6 mPa・s＊
Planned launch date	June 2017	June 2017

*mPa・s：Unit of viscosity (millipascal-second) Higher numbers mean higher viscosity

In the Industrial printing market for textiles, labels, packaging and ceramics tiles, there is an increasing need to meet a wide variety of customer needs such as smaller lot sizes and shorter delivery times.  This requires the rapid digitisation of industrial printing in order to deliver greater flexibility and productivity, resulting in increased demand for printheads that deliver finer image quality as well as high productivity and greater reliability. RICOH MH5421 F and RICOH MH5421MF offer high resolution printing to support its industrial partners and customers to meet these market needs. 

Ricoh will introduce RICOH MH5421F and RICOH MH5421MF as well as other Industrial Printing solutions at InPrint which is the exhibition for industrial print technology, taking place from 25-27 April 2017 in Orlando, Florida.
The Ricoh Inkjet business
Ricoh has a long and rich heritage in the world of Inkjet technology dating back over 30 years, enabling Ricoh to support a wide variety of inkjet printing system applications. Ricoh also supports partners in diverse industrial and specialty markets including Wide Format Graphics, 3D printing, Textile and many more.