Meteor Inkjet launches nozzle-checking software

Meteor Inkjet, the company that supplies the PDS-2SF600 drive electronics that power the FUJIFILM Dimatix, SKYFIRE SF600 printhead, has launched MetVision, machine-vision-aided nozzle status detection and correction software. 

The ability to accurately detect misfiring nozzles in inkjet systems is essential to OEM print system builders. Poorly performing nozzles can result in print quality issues, printer downtime and product waste. These difficulties can be especially problematic and costly in industrial environments. 

The US Patent Office granted Meteor Inkjet a patent in 2022. The patent covers a system and method for determining, in real-time, the operational status of a nozzle in a piezoelectric industrial inkjet printhead.
Meteor’s new MetVision software offers machine-vision solutions and streamlined system configuration and calibration capabilities, significantly reducing printer setup time and effort.

Jonathan Wilson, Meteor’s Vice President of Business Development, says, “Meteor software innovations extend beyond core print system operation to include solutions designed to enhance print quality including swath management, print calibration, nozzle-out compensation and now even real-time nozzle status detection and correction.”

MetVision software facilitates the creation, detection, and analysis of test patterns. It works with mobile phone cameras (wirelessly sending images to a PC) and printer-mounted line or area-scan cameras. It can be used for intermittent or continuous defect detection and correction on the fly. Designed for production environments, MetVision works seamlessly with Meteor’s complete software suite, including MetPrint, MetScan, and MetIndustrial.