Mimaki Highlights Culture of Innovation, Announces New Products

As a part of its online Global Innovation Days Conference, which took place during the week of June 2nd, equipment manufacturer Mimaki provided its take on conditions in a handful of imaging-focused segments, and announced new technologies and an initiative designed to foster imaging business and expand what imaging technologies can do.

The presentation was kicked off by Kazuaki Ikeda, President of Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd., and Naoya Kawagoshi, President of Mimaki USA, who spoke of the company’s commitment to R&D and innovation, particularly to meet the needs of its diverse customer base. They noted that amid the disruption and challenges of the last year (due to the Covid-19 pandemic), many print segments prospered.

Michael Maxwell, Mimaki’s Senior Manager for Corporate Strategic Development, provided a multi-stage presentation, which started with a timeline of development and innovation since the company’s entry into the imaging universe in 1987. He further discussed the company’s commitment to sustainable growth. Mimaki, he says, works to develop machines that provide maximum effectiveness with the lowest environmental impact. He added that, currently, 68% of the company’s products use standard 110W power.

Maxwell highlighted Mimaki’s involvement in the additive manufacturing market — also most commonly known as 3D printing. He announced the company’s new 3DUJ-2207, a full-color 3D printer offering a compact size, photorealistic color output, translucent printing effects with clear inks, faithful reproduction of fine details, and an inkset that uses acrylic resin similar to ABS plastic. The new machine, which is intended to capture the potential of additive manufacturing, is initially aimed at markets including medical, aerospace, and signage. The new machine’s price point, at around $40,000, allows entry for entrepreneurs seeking new opportunities and new business models. Further, added Mimaki’s Josh Hope, the new machine may allow printing companies to shift from a model where 3D printing is done through service providers, to a model where it is brought in-house.

Maxwell then highlighted Mimaki’s new Print-On Select program, which works to make printing “accessible to anyone,” particularly entrepreneurs who use wide-format inkjet technology as a part of their manufacturing approach. Ken VanHorn, Mimaki’s Vice President, noted that print-on-demand technologies, and the way they have flourished during the pandemic, speaks to the many opportunities yet to be hatched and the high consumer interest in customized, Internet-driven models. Maxwell described three new printers, added recently as a part of the program. These are the signage and graphics-focused UJ100-160, the fashion and decor-focused TS100-160, and the JV100-160, which has a primary focus on outdoor durable graphics. The program also includes the launch of a new, feature-rich solvent inkset — SS21 — which offers strong capabilities and high quality and a low price.

Finally, Maxwell highlighted two new machines added to its industrial printing-focused JFX600 line, the fastest of which will provide a print speed of up to 2,153 square feet per hour, and which offered four color, four color plus, and six color plus printhead configurations. These new features, says Maxwell, coupled with instant curing of inks, allows for faster finishing, as well as layering and texture applications.