Kodak Shows Advances in Stream, UltraStream Inkjet Technology at Innovationdays

Visitors to Kodak’s stand (Hall 2, Stand P01) at Hunkeler Innovationdays saw how the latest advances in the company’s Stream and UltraStream Technology create new opportunities in digital printing, including a wider range of applications and substrates that can be utilized.

Prototypes and various configurations of Kodak UltraStream Technology were on show and visitors could view a range of printed samples to compare the advanced quality to offset printing.

Since its debut at drupa 2016, market response to UltraStream Technology has been extremely positive. Seventeen OEMs, including Fuji Kikai, GOSS China, manroland, Matti, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Packaging Machinery (MHI-PPM) and Uteco, have already signed Letters of Intent to explore the integration of UltraStream into their future printing solutions.

Norifumi Tasaka, general manager, Development Headquarters Quality Assurance Department, MHI-PPM, comments: “The integration of digital print technology into the MHI-PPM portfolio requires high quality, with compelling running costs and great productivity. After evaluating various print head technologies, we decided to move forward with a Letter of Intent to assess the next generation technology, UltraStream, from Kodak. Based on the demonstrations at drupa 2016, we are confident that this technology provides a candidate in class solution for our portfolio which will meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

The UltraStream Jetting Module.

UltraStream Technology leverages the proven benefits of Stream’s unique drop generation technology, producing round, uniform, satellite-free dots at a rate that is 10 times faster than drop-on-demand using a single array of printheads. The modular writing system, available in widths of 8˝ to 98˝ to suit specific applications, will enable high resolution printing of 600×1,800 dpi at speeds of up to 150 m/min (500 ft/min) on the widest array of paper and plastic substrates. The speed and accuracy of Kodak’s proprietary continuous inkjet technology rivals the print quality of offset and visitors will be able to see this first hand with samples on Kodak’s stand.

Randy Vandagriff, Vice President of Kodak’s Enterprise Inkjet Systems Division, says: “Built on Kodak’s proven continuous inkjet Stream technology, UltraStream Technology will move production inkjet into the mainstream of commercial printing, packaging, labels and home décor. The development timeline for UltraStream Technology remains on track with Evaluation kits available later this year. We look forward to continuing discussions with OEMs on how this next generation technology will take production inkjet to the next level.”

Prosper S-Series PIC Box.

At Hunkeler Innovationdays, Kodak introduced the Kodak 800 Print Manager, its newest digital front end, designed to drive its high-speed inkjet presses and ideal for a wide range of applications including commercial, book, direct mail, transactional, newspaper and packaging printing. The 800 Print Manager batches multiple jobs into a single run and can spool, process and print static or Variable Data Print (VDP) jobs at press-rated speeds of thousands of pages per minute (up to 300 m/min or 1,000 ft/min). Based on a unique VDP-optimized architecture, 800 Print Manager combines cutting-edge software and hardware, caching of reusable elements, front-to-back balancing and on-the-fly page assembly for ultra-fast printing, while an object-oriented color engine offers sophisticated color control options, ICC profile support, object-independent screening options and text enhancement.

A host of other samples and live demonstrations on the Kodak stand enabled visitors to see first-hand how they can benefit from Kodak’s digital inkjet and hybrid solutions:

• The advantages of Kodak Prosper S-Series Imprinting Systems, which can be integrated into a variety of offset and flexo press solutions, was demonstrated on the stand. Visitors could see live demonstrations of the technology printing in processed color at speeds up to 600 m/min – controlled on a GSS transport unit — producing various variable printing samples, from flyers and direct mail to gaming applications.
• Prosper 6000C Press printed glossy, post coated self-mailers with personalized coupons is produced on the stand on Hunkler and Heidelberg finishing lines and visitors should not have missed the demonstration of dynamic perforation.
• Visitors also saw a virtual page come to life in mid-air with Kodak’s ‘Printing on Air’ demonstration with Kodak Prosper Jetting Modules, which control over one billion drops of ink per second.
• On the Hunkeler stand, visitors had further opportunities to see the advantages of Kodak Prosper 6000C and P presses. Color books, pre-printed on a Prosper 6000C, are finished to book blocks on the High-Performance book line, while finished newspapers, pre-printed by KP Services (Jersey) Limited on the Channel Islands, UK on a Prosper 6000P, will also be created throughout the show.

Source: Kodak.