Konica Minolta DFT drives inkjet innovation for AccurioJet KM-1

| 17 October 2018

Langenhagen, Germany, 17 October 2018 –A unique patented process from Konica Minolta is helping to drive a new wave of innovation within inkjet for its B2 UV LED press, the AccurioJet KM-1, which is seen as the “Swiss Army Knife” of printing thanks to its versatility with substrates and applications.


Konica Minolta has unveiled more details on its Dot Freeze Technology (DFT) that has overcome one of the fundamental challenges of inkjet printing – uncontrolled ink dot movement that reduces print quality and workable materials.

The patented DFT technology uniquely self-freezes ink drops immediately upon contact with the material. A rapid change in temperature turns high-flowing inks from a printhead nozzle into a low-flowing, immobile ink droplet when it hits the material so the challenge of mottling of colours and of printing on to porous materials is eliminated.

The result is superior colour stability and consistency and excellent results with instantly dry perfected prints on the widest range of materials. This includes standard offset stock materials without needing pre-treated paper or a primer system in the printing press. Even the thinnest 60-micron paper can be printed two-sided and perfected (duplex) in one process. DFT also extends the CMYK colour gamut, reducing the need for special colours.

Konica Minolta’s flagship sheetfed digital AccurioJet KM-1 is the first press in the world to use DFT, which enables customers to explore applications and materials in a way that was not previously possible. It was developed by Konica Minolta, a company with inkjet expertise stretching back more than 40 years covering printhead, ink and textile machine developments, as well as software and colour management. As a market leader, its range of industrial textile digital textile printers include the high-speed single-pass SP-1 and NASSENGER 8 and 10 multi-pass models. And for more than a decade with its toner presses, Konica Minolta has been the No. 1 in Europe in mid- and low-end production printing.

Benefiting from offset-comparable production, the AccurioJet KM-1 is used on a wide range of materials such as plastics, canvas, heavy textured, synthetic and fine art materials. These are in addition to its core capability of printing on standard offset media uncoated and coated paper media materials without the need for pre-treatment. Specialty applications also include loyalty and gift cards.

One major benefit of the Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 is the ability to instantly move prints to finishing. This machine has a 100% contact-free printing process and provides excellent front-to-back registration with prints fully perfected. It has a media thickness range of 0.06 to 0.6 mm (simplex) and 0.06 to 0.45 (duplex), print speeds of 3,000 sheets per hour simplex (1,500 duplex) at 1200x1200dpi and the industry’s biggest sheet size available at 585 x 750mm.

Please find an animation of the DFT™ here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLzt-OOVWsU


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About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe


Konica Minolta’s journey started 150 years ago, with a vision to see and do things differently. We innovate for the good of society and the world. The same purpose that kept us moving then, keeps us moving now.


Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. With its unique expertise in imaging, data processing and data-based decision making, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers - small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector - and solves issues faced by society.


As a digital workplace solution provider, Konica Minolta helps its clients to identify and unlock the potential digitalisation holds and reach the next level in the digital maturity of their organisation by rethinking the workplace. In support of an ‘Intelligent connected workplace’, Konica Minolta offers cloud, IT, managed print and video solution services for remote working, collaboration, workflow management and automation and security. The company’s success in driving transformation is also confirmed by IDC, since the ‘IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2023 Vendor Assessment’ has named Konica Minolta a “Leader” in print transformation. Konica Minolta has been a Microsoft Global Managed Partner since 2021.


Konica Minolta's Igniting Print Possibilities offering helps printers, converters and brand owners maximise workflow automation to increase efficiency. The company delivers consultancy in all communication matters as well as top-of-the-line production, packaging as well as label printers. Its finishing devices create print products that stand out and create added value. Konica Minolta has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe (InfoSource).


For an increasing number of organisations, success today is more than the narrow definition of financial prosperity – it also includes protecting the environment and having a positive impact on their workforce as well as the societies they are embedded in. With its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Konica Minolta has pledged to consistently pursue its sustainability and social responsibility goals.


The company has been repeatedly recognised for its rich history of social contribution as well as for working towards achieving the SDGs throughout its business and supply chain. Konica Minolta received a GOLD Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2023.


For its remote services, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious ‘Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023-2024 Pacesetter Award in Remote Service for the Western European market’ from Keypoint Intelligence.


Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With more than 8,700 employees (as of April 2023), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.26 billion in financial year 2022/2023.


Worldwide, the company has over 39,000 employees and is operating in over 150 countries.


For more information, please visit https://www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en/news and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.


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