Xaar, the leading independent supplier of industrial inkjet printheads, has added two new greyscale printheads to the successful premium-quality, wide-swathe (53.7mm) Xaar Proton inkjet family. The Xaar Proton 15 and Xaar Proton 15+ both deliver 15 picolitre drops at high speed, providing outstanding print quality, excellent productivity and exceptional value.   

These new greyscale printheads, which join the binary Xaar Proton 35 and Xaar Proton 60, are ideal for high quality indoor and outdoor graphics. The expanded Xaar Proton family allows printer manufacturers to deliver a wider product range with the best combination of throughput and print quality while minimizing the cost of printer development.

The Xaar Proton 15 uses Xaar’s Drop Optimization Technology (XaarDOT) to print in binary or greyscale modes.  In greyscale mode, 15, 30 and 45 picolitre drops can be used simultaneously to print a single image. This allows fine detail to be combined with smooth tones.  Alternatively, in binary mode, an image can be printed using a single drop size selected from this range. As a result, the Xaar Proton 15 caters for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor graphics applications. The Xaar Proton 15+ adds internal ink temperature control to enable the printhead to work with an even wider variety of ink types and viscosities. Precise temperature control is important for maintaining high quality printing in environments where ambient temperatures may fluctuate during the day, or from season to season.

The Xaar Proton 15 incorporates the latest Xaar technology to ensure the highest quality, productivity and reliability. Individually lasered nozzles, optimized ink drop speeds, and Xaar’s latest ‘chevron’ actuator design, combine to give efficient and consistent drop formation resulting in outstanding print quality.

The robust design of the Xaar Proton 15, with lockable ink and electrical connections, ensures easy and secure installation. In addition, the integration of intelligent on-board electronics reduces development costs and time-to-market for printer developers.

Xaar’s two new printheads make their global debut at Shanghai International Advertising & Sign Technology & Equipment Exhibition (11th-14th July 2012 Shanghai, China) on the Xaar booth (Hall N5/001). In addition, visitors to the show will be able to see Xaar Proton 15-enabled printers demonstrated by Design Digital Science & Technology, Huangjian Digital Technology (Shanghai), Shanghai Bluewin Digital Technology, Shanghai ColorTop Digital Technology, Shanghai Huidi Digital Technology, Shanghai Zhong Yin International and Signstar International Industrial. Design Digital Science & Technology and Shanghai Huidi Digital Technology will also unveil Xaar Proton 15+-enabled printers on their booths.

“Our aim is to give printer manufacturers and their customers a wide choice of sophisticated, but cost-effective, printheads so they can select the very best technology for their specific applications,” says Mark Alexander, Director of Marketing, Xaar. “The new Xaar Proton 15 printheads have been developed in close collaboration with our customers and incorporate the latest Xaar technology to ensure outstanding print quality.”