Shaun Holdom, Global Business Development Director at Fujifilm WFIJ Systems explains why Fujifilm’s new AQUAFUZE ink technology marks a major industry milestone.
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Ink is the lifeblood of our industry, and for all the spectacular advances we’ve seen in hardware technology over recent years – it’s often new discoveries in the laboratories of the major ink manufactures that spur the industry on.
These developments are happening all the time on a micro level, but every so often, there’s a milestone reached that signals a real pivot and challenge to established technology. I think we now find ourselves at one of those moments. A moment to rival the shift we saw in the 1990s and early 2000s when the established technology of screen print went into terminal decline with the rapid development of UV, Eco Solvent and then Latex ink technology.
Looking back
Way back in 1997 I was personally involved in the development of a pioneering solvent ink, engineered to jet through an Epson piezo print head. This was a genuine ink technology breakthrough that gave the ability to print digitally onto PVC and led to fundamental market changes and the creation of whole new industries that are still with us today. The printers using this ink technology got bigger and bigger, leading eventually to grand format printing pioneered by the likes of Vutek, Scitex, Nur, Idanit and Salsa, some of which were subsequently purchased by HP as they too decided to enter this market.
In 1999, it was Fujifilm who pioneered the development of UV inkjet printing. This was the start of direct to substrate printing, with ultra-quick drying and the ability to print to a huge range of plastic substrates. These benefits, alongside its exceptional durability, led to UV ink technology being enthusiastically embraced by the market, rapidly replacing rival technologies and becoming the industry mainstay it remains today.
In the early 2000s Eco Solvent ink was adopted by many established wide format manufacturers, including the likes of Mutoh, Roland and Mimaki, while also being taken up by new OEMs who saw it as an opportunity to enter the market. Though the term ‘eco’ is today synonymous with ideas of ‘sustainability’ and ‘environmental responsibility’, Eco Solvent wasn’t originally named or designed to be an ‘ecological’ solvent. In fact, the ‘eco’ in ‘Eco Solvent was derived from ‘economy’. ‘Economy Solvent’ remains an important part of the wide format print industry today.
2008 saw the launch of the first printer using Latex ink, marking the start of a whole new chapter in the wide format story. Using water-based inks, jetting through a thermal print head, and being able to print onto PVC and multiple other substrates, opened up a range of possibilities. Latex ink technology has undergone continual development and, now in its 5th generation, it remains a wide format and grand format industry staple.
The best of both
But what if we could combine the quick drying and scratch resistance properties of UV ink, with the flexibility and environmental benefits of water-based alternatives? That, in a nutshell, is the story of AQUAFUZE, a story more than ten years in the making.
Using pioneering raw materials, developed in-house by Fujifilm, AQUAFUZE ink technology is the result of more than a decade of intensive Fujifilm R&D. With non-water-soluble photo initiators, alongside new pigment dispersions, Fujifilm has developed the full end-to-end technology of the ink, giving it a considerable competitive advantage, having had full control to determine the development path of the technology, and the endless potential future applications.
The result is an ink technology unlike anything that has gone before. No hazard warning labels, low odour, fast curing at low heat, low ink build (for a soft feel), a thin ink film, and excellent bonding properties without any need for optimisers. It’s a combination of attributes that’s entirely unique, and it’s an extraordinary opportunity for sign and display printers looking for a point of difference and exceptional RoI, because that combination of attributes means that there’s something AQUAFUZE can do that’s a true industry first: instant application.
Instant application
When using other wide format digital solutions, be it UV, Eco Solvent or Latex, applications need to be left for at least six hours, and often a full 24 hours before laminating. However fast the print speed, and however fast the curing, there’s no rushing that wait time, and there’s no rushing finished jobs to customers on the same day.
With AQUAFUZE, there is zero wait time. Applications are ready for laminating instantly, and with the thin ink film – there is no silvering effect whatsoever. With this technology, we at Fujifilm aren’t just slashing the wait times between printing and laminating, we’re removing them altogether.
The implications are huge, as signmakers now have an accessible solution that will open up new market verticals and allow them to make delivery of finished jobs to customers in a fraction of the time.
Modern print businesses need to be able to say “yes” to as much work as possible. And with this solution they can do that, while also making a responsible choice from an environmental perspective, as AQUAFUZE ink is water based and fully recyclable, and the low heat LED UV curing uses remarkably little energy. Furthermore, the ability to print using Piezo Printheads, with different droplet sizes, means print of consistent high quality without having to frequently replace print heads.
Ultimate flexibility
Flexible and durable, AQUAFUZE ink is ideal for wrapping, as it’s flexible enough to print on backlit and frontlit fabric without a secondary process. It also prints reliably onto a huge variety of other substrate materials, including all types of PVC: monomeric, polymeric and cast, as well as coated polypropylene, polyester, and paper.
The quality is also exceptional, making the Acuity Triton with AQUAFUZE suitable to be used in anything from a professional photographic environment, to a busy sign shop.
Perspectivas futuras
We believe we’re at the very beginning of a whole new chapter in the wide format print story. AQUAFUZE technology is available initially in the Acuity Triton roll-to-roll printer, developed in partnership with Mutoh. Both the printer, and AQUAFUZE itself will be launched at FESPA 2025 in Berlin next month, following a very successful preview at drupa 2024.
As to where the story goes from here, we will work with innovative and creative partners and with customers of all kinds to continue to develop this technology for new applications and markets. This ink isn’t about what it can and can’t do in comparison with more traditional technologies. It’s about finding the applications it can enhance and improve with quality, speed, performance and increased environmental responsibility.
At FESPA and beyond, we look forward to exploring a range of potential partnerships with companies looking to take advantage of a highly accessible solution that combines the benefits of UV printing and the flexibility of water-based ink, feeding a market with instant applications, immediate lamination, and opening up use on a wider range of sustainable materials.
AQUAFUZE ink & Acuity Triton
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