Kyocera Starts Mass Production of the KPR Series
The newly developed thermal printheads for digital photo printers
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(This document was translated from the Japanese press release.)
July 01, 2005
Kyocera Corporation (Chairman and CEO: Yasuo Nishiguchi) is pleased to announce that the company has developed the new KPR Series thermal printheads for the rapidly growing digital photo printer market. The unit will go into mass production in mid-July this year.
The new "KPR Series" thermal printhead
| Product name |
The KPR Series thermal printhead |
| Mass production |
Mid-July 2005 |
| Production plants |
Kagoshima Hayato Plant (Japan) for upstream (thin film) processes, Nagano Okaya Plant (Japan) for downstream (assembly) processes
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| Production volume |
200,000 units per month initially |
<Background>
The worldwide market for photo printers (printers that print images captured with digital cameras) showed a rapid expansion in the period 2003-04 of 39%* (shipment basis). The market is expected to continue to expand this year. As the resolution of images taken with digital cameras continues to increase, there is a market demand for thermal printheads capable of higher image quality. The rapid increase in the number of printers manufactured requires printer manufacturers to reduce the time for assembling printers and to ensure a reliable supply of printheads from printhead manufacturers.
*Source: Infotrends (www.infotrends-rgi.com)
<Features>
1. Seventeen percent smaller than conventional models, backed by high-density patterning technology
Improvement in the accuracy of photo-resist coating and light exposure with the use of Kyocera's exclusive high-density patterning has made it possible to create the thermal printhead substrates that are 17% smaller than those of conventional thermal printheads.
An anisotropic conductive film (ACF) is then used to connect the ceramic substrate with the external circuit, thus contributing to size reduction of the thermal printheads footprint.
2. Improved positioning accuracy of the heater elements to enhance printing quality and reduce the time for the assembly process by printer manufacturers
Kyocera, taking advantage of its vertical integration strength, uses in-house ceramic substrates to improve the positioning accuracy of heater elements by approximately 60% over that of conventional models. The result is enhanced printing quality and a substantial reduction in the time required for the assembly process by printer manufacturers.
3. Improved productivity to respond to a rapid boost in production
To satisfy the needs of digital photo printer manufacturers to rapidly increase their production, Kyocera has reduced its thin film processing time thus increasing productivity by 20%.
<Reference: Kyocera's thermal printheads>
Kyocera manufactures thermal printheads using its advanced thin film process to form the resistors, the electrodes and the protective layer on a thermal storage (glaze) layer, on the ceramic substrate. The glaze layer is a mound of glass under the heater element. The heat generated when the heater element becomes electrically live is transferred to thermal paper and ink ribbons during printing. Since the heater elements are formed by thin film processes, the dot sequence is accurate and even. This provides outstanding heat response, that is, the response time needed to become electrically live and start generating heat. These features make this printhead suitable for high-speed and highly accurate printing. Changing the height and form of the glaze layer makes the printhead suitable for a range of applications and printing media.
An example of the cross-section of the structure.
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| Inquiries |
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From Customers |
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KYOCERA Corporation
Thin Film Devices Division
Takeda Tobadono-cho, Fushimi-ku,
Kyoto 612-8501, Japan
Tel: 075-604-3404(Direct)
Fax : 075-604-3401(Direct) |
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From the Press |
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KYOCERA Corporation
Corporate Communications
Head Office
Tel: 075-604-3416 (Direct)
Tokyo
Tel: 03-3274-1577(Direct) |
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