Advances in Printing Technology and Equipment (Technical Insights) - Market Research 2006

Advances in Printing Technology and Equipment (Technical Insights)
Frost & Sullivan
September 30, 2006
81 Pages
Pub ID: MC1375708
Price: $6,000.00
Research Overview
The Frost & Sullivan research service titled Advances in Printing Technology & Equipment provides insights into inkjet, laser, digital, and large format printing technologies. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following applications: printed electronics, business printing, commercial printing, and applications in the medical-organ printing domains.
Market Sectors
Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:
By application:
Business printing
Commercial printing
Healthcare, pharmaceutical, food & beverage
Electronics
Medical
By technologies:
Inkjet & laser (LED & OLED-based) printing
Inkjet printing
Pad printing
Technologies
The following technologies are covered in this research:
Inkjet Printing: The inkjet printing technology involves the deposition of a fine droplet of ink from minute nozzles to create the desired image. The actuation mechanism required for the development of droplets has evolved over a period of time and currently three main technologies drive inkjet printing. These are thermal inkjet, piezoelectric inkjet and continuous inkjet.
Laser Printing: Printing using this technology involves six distinct stages, as mentioned below:
Charging: During this stage a photosensitive drum (that is a photoreceptor, capable of holding an electrostatic charge) is charged using a primary charge roller.
Writing: The incoming document is converted into a raster image using an inbuilt raster image processing chip. The raster image is then scanned onto the photoreceptor using laser diodes. The laser beam thus generated is directed and reflected through a series of mirrors before it impinges on the photoreceptor. On contact, the charge (on photoreceptor) is reversed, thus creating a latent electrophotographic image.
Developing: Much as in the case of developing a photographic film, this stage involves the exposure of the charged latent electrophotographic image to a charged toner. The toner (essentially carbon black) adheres to the charged latent image produced/written by the laser.
Transferring: As the name suggests, this stage involves the rolling of the photoreceptor over the medium, thereby transferring the toner. The degree of applied pressure depends on the type of medium being used to capture the image.
Fusing: Transferring the image onto the medium does not ensure that it remains on the medium. This is accomplished using a fusing element. The fusing element (which essentially comprises a hot roller) applies a combination of heat and pressure onto the medium to create the permanent image on the medium: that is fusing the image onto the medium.
Cleaning: Upon the completion of the fusing or image fixing process, excess toner is shaved off from the photoreceptor using an electrically neutral rubber blade. The excess toner is collected in a waste reservoir, which may be recycled to conserve toner. Finally any remaining charge on the photoreceptor is removed by a discharge lamp.
Pad Printing: In pad printing printing of relevant important information is carried out in three distinct phases:
Clich?© Phase: In this phase, the image to be printed is etched onto a plate termed the clich?© (the clich?© is constructed out of metal substrate that has a polymer coating). The clich?© (now on the printer) is doused in ink either through an open ink container or via a closed ink cup that slides over the image. The pad then travels over the image.
Transfer Phase: In this phase, the pad picks up the image from the clich?© and moves over to create the impression. However, the accuracy of the print depends on the type of ink used in the process. In addition, the final application of the print (printing on metals, ceramics, plastics, edible consumables) defines the type of ink to be used. Edible inks would vary greatly from the one to be used for printing on metals or plastics.
Print Phase: After picking up the image from the clich?©, the pad (usually made from silicon) transfers the image onto the required substrate. The final quality of the image is decided by the amount of pressure and the substrate/surface on which the final image to be printed.
Technology Overview
Notable Advancements in Printing Technology
Despite concepts such as paperless office and e-paper making headlines, printing technology is seeing a resurgence thanks to noteworthy innovations from key market participants. Broadly speaking, printing is driven by two diverse sectors: business printing and commercial printing that are in turn driven by two key technologies, inkjet and laser printing. While inkjet printing has dominated business printing until recently, laser printing is showingÇƒÙ promise and providing equally beneficial results to a wider market audience. Application areas such as advertising, color printing, and security-related printing are key drivers for the growth of the laser-printing segment. In terms of technology, aspects such as wireless printing, cost, software, and document management systems are becoming important for the long-term sustenance of this technology.
As far as inkjet technology is concerned, the large number of applications using it is driving the market. Printing electronic circuits onto substrates (flexible and rigid), printing organs for transplantation, and 3D printing as a means of rapid prototyping are a few of them. "Each of these application areas are future oriented, with inkjet printing fueling their growth," notes the analyst of this research service. "Inkjet technology is also collaborating with corresponding developments in nanotechnology to cater to the printed electronics domain."
HP Develops Scalable Printing Technology
During the development of printing technology, there have been very few paradigm shifting technological advancements. The most recent one is the scalable printing technology (SPT) from HP. While most inkjet printheads comprise sub-elements that are assembled to create the final product, HP altered the manufacturing process and created an integrated printhead using a photolithographic process. More importantly, the printhead has 3900 nozzles - an unheard number of nozzles on a single printhead. Along with exceptional speed and print quality, the most notable aspect of this technology is its scalability to fit any requirement, thereby making it ÇƒÚfuture-readyÇƒÙ.
In another noteworthy development, Epson (Long Beach, CA), a leading player in this sector, has created an organic light emitting diode (OLED)-based laser printing solution. Since laser printing involves usage of either a laser or an LED source to create the final image, there are a number of shortcomings such as accurate alignment of lenses and mirrors to prevent parallax errors and the shorter life of LEDs compared to OLEDs. These shortcomings are boosting the use of OLEDs and this development from Epson might lead this industry in future. "Also noteworthy is the iTi Corporation - Inline Curing Printer which gives the user control over curing the 3D printed material," says the analyst. "The iTi CorporationÇƒÙs Inline Curing Printer is able to cure the layer as it gets printed, and although it is in its preliminary development stage, its impact on a whole range of industry segments including aerospace, automotive, and general manufacturing could be huge in terms of cost and time savings