Ricoh has launched an inkjet technical centre in Europe, further supporting the growing demand for its industrial inkjet print heads, used in wide format graphics, textile and 3D printing.
Ricoh has a longstanding heritage in the industrial inkjet market and has supplied print head technology and licensed patents to companies around the world for over 30 years.
Anthony Ho, manager of the product and solutions support division at Ricoh South Africa said, ‘The new centre is based in Telford, in the UK, and offers localised technical support for OEM inkjet innovators across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. There are laboratories for testing, evaluation and external training and they’re fully equipped to help integrators with their design, evaluation and validation of our inkjet components from product development to introduction.’
The components are suitable for wide format graphics, direct-to-garment, 3D printing and other industrial applications. ‘There are many opportunities to put these print heads to use in functional prototyping and advanced additive manufacturing, produce bespoke clothing on demand or support graphics and signage needs of the future,’ said Ho.
Ricoh’s technical team will also assess jetting characteristics, component application compatibility and fluid performance, allowing customers to have their fluid tests performed locally. In addition to the technical support and business development teams, chemists as well as mechanical and electrical engineers will be based at the centre to support customer projects.
The Centre is a new resource specifically for EMEA-based customers and will work in collaboration with Ricoh’s global network of technology and component manufacturing facilities to provide responsive local technical support. ‘We have many inkjet customers in EMEA so there was a pressing need to provide support to them,’ says Ho.
Ricoh-sponsored research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit reveals that 86% of European business leaders expect some form of technology-led disruption in the next three years. This highlights the value and assurance which the centre can offer, as well as its role as a hotbed for future innovations.
