Single Pass Inkjet Head Technology: Ultra-Low Viscous UV Inks

Agfa Graphics today announced the launch of the new :Agora® ink product family, designed and manufactured by Agfa Graphics. It consists of two new ink lines that are ideal for the next generation single pass 'piezo' print heads offering photo-quality resolution at record- breaking speeds.

These inks are compatible with major inkjet head suppliers such as the Kyocera KJ4A. The :Agora® D ink family is utilised for document printing including transactional, transpromotional and newspaper printing. The :Agora® G ink family is designed for general purpose printing: flexible packaging, labels, folding carton applications, shelf ready packaging, POS and specialty printing applications. These new inks are commercially available starting at IPEX 2010.

Ultra-Low Viscous UV inks

The :Agora® Ultra-Low Viscous UV inks are the only inks on the market that feature low viscosity, high reactivity, low evaporation rates with improved dot placement for small drop sizes (<5 pico liter). As such, these new Ultra-Low Viscous UV inks are ideal for reliable printing with next-generation high-speed UV print heads on a wide variety of substrates for a numerous range of UV inkjet applications.

"Our new :Agora® UV inks are designed to cure immediately, for excellent outdoor resistance and guaranteed high productivity and convertibility. They produce vibrant colours with a large colour gamut, feature excellent chemical and abrasion resistance and are low-odour. We target sales to inkjet head system integrators and their end users. Thanks to the outstanding image quality and the high speed, combined with the excellent jetting performance, the Agora® ink family will open exciting innovative opportunities for our target markets. With this combination, Agfa Graphics aims at narrowing the gap between conventional and digital printing technologies", said Stefaan De Meutter, head of Ink R&D, Agfa Graphics, Industrial Inkjet Single Pass.

Demo samples of the Ultra-Low Viscous UV inks will be shown on the Agfa stand at IPEX in Birmingham, UK, 18- 25 May 2010.