Epson invention wins WIPO Prize for printhead

Epson’s ‘invention’ of a compact and cost-effective Piezoelectric Inkjet Printhead Structure (Japanese Patent No. 5958568) has received the prestigious World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO Prize) at the 2026 National Commendation for Invention (sponsored by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation).

Whilst this is Epson’s fifth recognition at the National Commendation for Invention since 2019, it is the company’s first WIPO Prize: ‘a special prize given for inventions that have an outstanding scientific and technological inventive step and that have achieved remarkable effects upon implementation’.

The invention awarded is used in Epson’s PrecisionCore Micro TFP printheads and is incorporated into a wide range of Epson-branded inkjet printers for office as well as commercial and industrial applications. It enables a compact and cost-effective inkjet printhead by configuring an actuator, which ejects ink through the displacement of a piezoelectric element, with a minimum number of constituent layers.

In conventional inkjet printheads, the inter-layer insulating film and protective film of the actuator, limit the displacement of the piezoelectric element. Consequently, securing a sufficient ink ejection volume inevitably resulted in larger and more costly inkjet printheads. By contrast, the Epson Piezoelectric Inkjet Printhead Structure integrates multiple functions into a piezoelectric layer composed of a thin-film piezoelectric material and the electrode structure, eliminating inter-layer insulating and protective films while simplifying the structure and reducing the number of constituent layers. The resulting increase in displacement of the piezoelectric element enables miniaturisation of the actuator, thereby achieving a compact and cost-effective inkjet printhead.

The net effect of this invention is a high-resolution and stable printing performance that also helps to promote the transition from conventional printing methods to inkjet printing, thereby contributing to reduce environmental impact through lower power consumption and reduced waste.

The National Commendation for Invention is held to encourage and foster inventions, and to contribute to the improvement of science and technology and the development of industry in Japan by honouring those who have completed outstanding Japanese inventions and designs. The last time Epson received a special prize in the National Commendation for an invention related to inkjet printers was in 2022, when it was awarded the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize for its ‘invention of method to reduce printing unevenness during bidirectional printing with inkjet printer’.

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