DIC Builds New Plant for Hollow-Fiber Membrane Modules Used for Degasifying Inkjet Inks Preparing to Capitalize on Expanding Demand for Inkjet Printing

  • Management & IR
  • News Release
May 18, 2017

Tokyo, Japan–DIC Corporation announced that it has built a new plant for manufacturing small modules in the SEPAREL® series of hollow-fiber membrane modules for degassing and aerating liquids. The new plant, located on the site of the Company’s Chiba Plant, is to reinforce the Company’s production capacity for these units, which are used in the degassing of inks for industrial inkjet printers. The new plant is scheduled to come on line by the end of 2017, once a hollow-fiber membrane production line and membrane fabric weaving equipment have been installed and commissioning completed. Total investment is estimated at JPY850 million, including the structure in which it is housed. The new plant will increase the Company’s production capacity for these modules to approximately 1.5 times the current level.

Industrial inkjet printers, which are used widely in printing posters, outdoor signage and photograph, among others, incorporate degassing modules. Bubbles in inkjet inks can hamper ejection from nozzles, damaging print quality. Accordingly, removing bubbles is crucial, especially for applications requiring high definition.

DIC, which entered the hollow-fiber membrane business in 1989, manufactures proprietary membranes comprising a porous inner layer comprising 200–250 µm-diameter hollow fibers and a nonporous surface skin layer with a thickness of 1 µm. Hailed for significantly reducing the negative consequences of degasification, these membranes currently command a 70% share of the global market for membrane modules used in inkjet printers.

Bolstered by the rising popularity of small-lot and on-demand printing, the global market for industrial inkjet printing continues to expand at an annual rate of around 8%. By investing in the new plant, DIC has positioned itself better to capitalize on market growth by responding to rising demand for its high-performance membrane modules for this application, thereby reinforcing its leading market position.

In addition to growing its share of the global market for membrane modules for inkjet printers though this expansion of its production capacity, DIC has taken steps to boost its sales in the market for large-scale degassing modules used in ultrapure water production facilities, a market it formally entered in 2015. Through these and other efforts, the Company will strive to boost annual sales of its hollow-fiber membrane module business to JPY7.0 billion, double the fiscal year 2016 level, by fiscal year 2020.

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