 |
 |
||||||
[April 2009]
Xaar Expands Range of Ceramic Inks – New Esmalglass-Itaca Partnership
Xaar (Cambridge, England) has added Esmalglass-Itaca Group to its list of Approved Ink Partners for the ceramic inks market. Esmalglass-Itaca is internationally recognised as a pioneer in the areas of ceramic pigments, glazes, frits and additives.
"We are very excited about this new partnership," said Jill Woods, Ink Product Manager at Xaar. "We are working together to approve new colours to strengthen the portfolio of approved ceramic inks. This supports our strategy to offer customers the widest choice of inks possible for use with the Xaar 1001 printhead. It is specifically the Xaar 1001 which has enabled us to enter into the ceramic ink market. The 1001's unique re-circulating ink system (TF Technology) keeps printhead nozzles fully primed and operational at all times and the ceramic inks from settling, which is important when jetting complex fluids such as ceramic inks."
The 1001 printhead has been developed specifically for use in industries such as ceramics, which demands large throughput, single-pass printing without compromising on quality, plus reliability and efficiency of operation. The printhead is designed for use in production line environments with a number of unique features including a nozzle guard to protect the nozzle plate. Easy installation is supported by simple electrical and ink supply connections and a patented ‘Self -Alignment System’.
Although Esmalglass-Itaca is headquartered in Spain, they are noted for their global presence. "Quality is now becoming increasingly important as consumers all over the world demand higher quality images on tiles," commented Jesús Fernández, Customer Assistance and R&D Manager at Itaca. "Digital designs and effects are being driven by what we, the ink manufacturers, can deliver and it is our mission to work extremely closely with the market worldwide to give it exactly what it needs.
"Xaar was the natural choice of partner for Esmalglass-Itaca, as we are seeing many digital printer manufacturers choosing the Xaar 1001 for their ceramic inkjet printers."
Xaar is the world's leading supplier of industrial inkjet printheads, inks and peripheral equipment to commercial printing and industrial manufacturing markets. Xaar's innovative technology offers OEM customers and licensees commercial advantage through product differentiation, productivity and faster time-to-market.
The Esmalglass-Itaca Group is internationally known as a leader in the sector of pigments, glazes, frits and additives. It has a presence in seven countries around the world, with 11 centres. Apart from the Spanish facilities of Esmalglass (Villarreal) and Itaca (Pobla Tornesa), it has centres in Italy, the UK, Portugal, Brazil, Indonesia and China. It employs over 1,000 members of staff worldwide.
www.xaar.com
www.esmalglass-itaca.com
ENDS