Meteor supports Kyocera recirculating printhead

Meteor Inkjet has announced that its PDC-2K600EX drive electronics will support Kyocera's new KJ4A-EX600RC-HX recirculating printhead, which is aimed at label and packaging embellishment and expected to go on sale in November 2026.

OEMs and print system builders can integrate the new head using the same Meteor hardware, software and APIs they already use, which Meteor says removes much of the cost, time and risk of bringing a new printing system to market. The PDC-2K600EX is already available in stock, and Kyocera is due to begin commercial sales of the printhead in November 2026.

The printhead suits demanding embellishment fluids such as white ink, varnish and foil adhesives. Its internal recirculation keeps fluid moving close to the nozzles and at a consistent temperature, which helps prevent pigment settling and nozzle drying and reduces maintenance with heavily pigmented or high-viscosity fluids.

Compared with Kyocera's earlier KJ4A-AL printhead, the new head has a maximum drop volume of 21 picoliters, an increase of 23 percent, which supports greater white ink opacity and thicker, more tactile varnish and foil effects. Its operating frequency has doubled to 40 kHz, supporting production speeds of up to 100 meters per minute.

'Embellishment is one of the fastest-moving areas of label and packaging print, and it puts real demands on a printhead. The KJ4A-EX600RC-HX handles thick, heavily loaded fluids at production speeds, and with the PDC-2K600EX our customers can put it to work straight away on the Meteor platform they already know. That means less engineering effort and a faster route to market,' said Jonathan Wilson, sales director at Meteor Inkjet.