EPSON TO TRIPLE INKJET HEAD MANUFACTURING

Epson is investing $38m (3.5 billion yen) on the construction of a new factory on the Akita Epson lot, to dramatically increase production capacity of printheads for inkjet printers, with a tripling of output.

Construction work on the new factory will begin next month,and is scheduled for completion by the end of next year. The investment will approximately treble Akita Epson's current printhead production capacity.

The new factory will be used to manufacture and assemble inkjet printheads, the core devices used in inkjet printers. The investment plan will ensure that Epson has enough production space to meet the predicted future growth in demand. It will also enable Epson to strengthen its product line-up and expand printhead sales to third parties, with a view to increasing the supply of inkjet printers equipped with cutting-edge PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads.

The plan is to construct the new factory adjacent to the existing factory. By consolidating PrecisionCore MicroTFP printhead production at Akita Epson, the company aims to maximise efficiency. In addition, production equipment and processes will be arranged to further increase human productivity and space productivity.

As a production site with high technological capabilities, Akita Epson works closely with other Epson R&D sites. It shares the advanced production technology and know-how it gains through the production of core devices with Epson's worldwide production sites to help maximise manufacturing capabilities across the Group.

PrecisionCore MicroTFP printheads are critical components that determine the image quality and speed of an inkjet printer. Equipped with an array of individually controlled nozzles, they are capable of ejecting 50,000 tiny ink droplets per second, with droplet sizes as small as several picoliters (a picoliter is one trillionth of a litre).