In this series of inkjet integrator profiles, Inkjet Insight aims to portray companies focussed on offering custom-developed inkjet printing solutions to their customers. Some of the basic considerations have been laid out in the introductory article here.
To establish a market overview, we are examining the company basics and the typical types of solutions the companies are offering. Please keep in mind that most companies will happily evaluate solution requirements that are not covered in their core markets and that companies do evolve over time.
Integrity, the company
Integrity Industrial Inkjet Integration has existed for 15 years now, founded by Dr. Rich Baker, a former director of business development at Fujifilm Dimatix and chemical products manager at Markem. The company is solely focused on inkjet technologies, specifically on custom inkjet solutions and inkjet evaluation equipment. Today the company has about 30 employees and under $10 million turnover and is based in New Hampshire, US.
Applications and markets served
Integrity covers a very broad range of applications from commercial print to 3D printing, additive manufacturing, bio & pharma printing, functional materials printing & deposition.
Examples of products include graphic arts applications like high-speed postal printing at 600 ft/min using UV curable inks at 600 dpi to give the desired print quality or direct printing onto retail products with colour matched graphics at 1200 dpi with UV curable inks, to replace plastic labels.
Other installations serve 3D printing, such as producing prosthetics in colour with UV curable inks at 1200+ dpi, to replace machining or injection moulding of the piece.
Examples of functional print are a printer for flexible circuits with conductive inks and dielectrics, requiring the printing of fine lines and the utilization of metalized inks. A target market is the printing of chipless RFID circuits. Another functional print application is the deposition of dielectric materials in the production of batteries. In specialty applications an inkjet printer is used for the synthesis of DNA through layer-by-layer deposition of nucleotides with 100 dpi inkjet resolution.
A separate part of the business is producing inkjet evaluation equipment. Those are essentially a range of lab inkjet print set-ups to evaluate fluids, drop generation and material interaction. Set-ups exists for flat surfaces and 3D-jetting applications.
Bio deposition printer
Most installations are in the $100k to $750k range, although larger projects are handled as well – either as large, single printer or in multiple installation projects.
Technologies and devices
Integrity specialised in integrating inkjet technologies into existing or planned production lines at the customer sites, which does comprise putting on inkjet on analog printing presses as well. In most cases, inkjet is integrated into non-print production lines. Stand-alone inkjet printing equipment is mostly confined to the testing equipment business. The focus is on industrial customers although printing companies are occasionally customers as well.
Integrity draws from a large variety of inkjet head vendors and implements the printhead that fits the application, as different manufacturers offer different strengths and inkjet head features. For example, inkjet heads from Epson, Fujifilm Dimatix, Konica Minolta, Xaar, Kyocera, Ricoh and Seiko have been used so far.
Single Pass, web-based system to fit on existing flexographic system
Inks and substrates
For the variety of applications targeted, Integrity is offering a very wide range of ink systems. There is some ink chemistry know-how in-house. For example, the founder has a PhD in chemistry. Most developments are in partnership with ink manufacturing companies.
Substrates printed on cover an equally broad range considering the application range.
Sales, services, and geographic coverage
Installations stretch from North America, Europe, and Asia to Australia. Integrity continues to develop opportunities with large manufacturers who need variable printing on their products, wherever they are manufactured.
As an integrator, Integrity sells directly to users by integrating inkjet engines into existing equipment. The company also sells through other integrators who manufacture larger production equipment such as manufacturers of filling lines, who incorporate the inkjet modules into their machinery. Integrity is also an OEM, building machinery for companies under whose name the machinery is sold.
DB400 Evaluation System, shown with multiple print heads and test inks
What is setting Integrity apart
Integrity Industrial Inkjet Integration works with the customers from idea creation to implementation on machinery customised to the customer’s application. The development process stretches from technical and economic feasibility, process optimisation, and prototypes, to the final implementation. At each step, Integrity provides advice and guidance to help customers move forward. This often culminates in the design and on-site installation of a printing system with matching inks.
Contact
Integrity is based in in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, US.
Website https://integrityintegration.com
e-mail: baker@integrityintegration.com
This series on inkjet integrators is going to be continued.