MUTOH TO LAUNCH NEW INKJET

At drupa next week, Mutoh is set to launch a new inkjet printer which uses a new ink technology, which it says addresses several of the issues in inkjet printing.

The company will exhibit the industry's new HydrAton 1642 inkjet printer equipped with the newly developed ink based on Fujifilm's Aquafuze technology.

According to Mutoh inks using Aquafuze technology are expected to become the “fourth technology” that it says can address several issues that existing ink technologies face.

The company says that its safe composition, with water as the main ingredient, and its low odour, as well as its capability of printing on different substrates, including using non-penetrating media without the need for primers or optimizers are the main characteristics of Aquafuze.

It also says the printed film is thin, and offers “high” abrasion resistance without the use of an overcoat, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, including wallpaper and indoor signs.

HydrAton 1642 is a printer in a new technology segment that features printing control and an ink film formation process that were newly developed to maximize the performance of the ink, through collaboration between Fujifilm's Aquafuze technology development and Mutoh's printer development teams.

Mutoh will also exhibit printers that use safe inks that it says factor in the effects on the human body and environment, such as sign and display inks that do not use GBL, which may be subject to regulations (MS51 ink), and UV inks that do not use substances classified as SVHC, including TPO (US61 ink).

It will also exhibit printers that use Only One MP, ink that can be proofread on original substrates, reducing VOCs and printing materials by using inkjet proofing instead of press proofing.