English Customer login HomeTechnology Applications.Products.Technology. AboutCareersMedia centreEventsInvestor centreContact us Technology Menu Xaar is a world-leading developer of inkjet technology. Industrial inkjet technology has been in use for a number of years; it’s an extremely versatile non-contact technology which is starting to make a huge impact on the world, bringing new opportunities to more people, and creating lucrative new markets. Industrial inkjet can apply a wide range of fluids with precision accuracy to a range of different substrates. Just one printhead can consistently pump 42 million drops of fluid per second. There are two key types of inkjet printing – continuous inkjet (CIJ) (continuous flow of ink) and drop-on-demand (DoD). Xaar printheads are DoD printheads. Drop-on-demand inkjet An inkjet printhead jets drops of ink onto the substrate to create the image. Xaar printheads are DoD printheads which means that a drop of ink is only produced when it is needed. There are 3 different primary enabling technologies: Valvejet, Thermal inkjet (TIJ) Piezoelectric inkjet. Valvejet Valvejet printers use needle valves and solenoids to control the flow of ink, so they are relatively slow but deliver high volumes of ink. Their use is mainly in the coding and marking industry. Thermal inkjet Thermal inkjet (TIJ) is the most common technology in desktop printers that we use at home. TIJ printers utilise a tiny heating element within the printhead to eject drops of ink. A current is applied to this element causing it to heat up rapidly. This element is in contact with the ink and causes a small amount of ink to vaporise. This creates a bubble within the printhead chamber forcing ink out of the nozzle. Piezoelectric inkjet - Xaar Piezoelectric printheads are made from a ceramic material that exhibits the reverse piezoelectric effect where it deforms when a voltage is applied to it. This effect is used in two ways: bend mode or shear mode. Xaar designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of piezoelectric printheads. Xaar’s market-leading printhead, the Xaar 1002 printhead has two rows, each with 500 nozzles. Each nozzle’s diameter is smaller than the width of a human hair and each nozzle is capable of firing 42,000 drops of ink per second. Each drop of ink travels at a speed of around six meters per second. Xaar Fundamentals Visit Xaar Fundamentals page for further information on Xaar's printhead technology. TF Technology™ Xaar's revolutionary patented TF Technology™ together with the unique Hybrid Side Shooter™ architecture enables inks or other fluids in the printhead to flow directly past the back of the nozzle during drop ejection, at very high flow rates. Read more XaarDOT™ Xaar provides a selection of printheads that offer companies flexibility to choose the right printhead for the application. XaarDOT™ (Xaar Drop Optimisation Technology) encompasses a range of drop formation options, each with specific features. Read more Xaar global Xaar regional locations Authorised resellers Vist our contact page Download Xapp Get the new Xaar iPhone/iPad app – ‘Xapp’ – featuring augmented reality Connect with Xaar Accreditations Xaar’s Swedish and UK manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited. FM559831 EMS559830 © 2014 Xaar plc. All rights reserved. Privacy policy. Registered in England No. 3320972. VAT No. 700266478