Epson 2014 Annual Report Download - page 28

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4. Research and development activities
Epson is pursuing innovation in compact, energy-saving, high-precision technologies with the aim of
becoming a “community of robust businesses,” as set forth in the Company’s SE15 Long-Range Corporate
Vision. The Company’s research and development programs are designed to achieve this and are thus
principally focused on boosting competitiveness by concentrating management resources on areas of
strength, reinforcing business foundations, and using the technologies and other assets in the Company’s
portfolio to create new businesses.
Operations division R&D develops core technologies and shared technology platforms in order to
strengthen the Company’s market position, both short and long term. Corporate R&D’s mission is to
develop both new and existing core technologies and shared technology platforms, with the aim of creating
new and revolutionizing existing businesses.
Total R&D spending in the year under review was ¥50,531 million. This included ¥25,783 million in the
information-related equipment segment, ¥4,800 million in the devices and precision products segment,
¥6,983 million in the sensing and industrial solutions segment, and ¥12,964 million in other and corporate.
The main R&D accomplishments in each segment are described below.
Information-related equipment
In the printing systems business, Epson released a new flagship model in its consumer inkjet printer lineup.
The new flagship model is a compact all-in-one unit that supports paper sizes up to A3. The small footprint
of these products allows them to easily fit in space-constrained places where former A3 printers could not.
While A4 paper is good enough for most print jobs, the ability to print on large A3 sheets when needed is a
big advantage.
Epson also expanded its lineup of full-fledged all-in-one inkjet printers for business. These business
all-in-ones, which employ Epson’s new high nozzle density PrecisionCore print heads, offer laser-like print
speeds, durability, and paper feeding capacities. The new flagship models are Epson’s fastest business
inkjet printers yet, delivering both color and monochrome prints at a blazing 24 ipm1 compared to 8 ipm
(color) and 15 ipm (monochrome) for the basic-spec PX-1700F (released in 2011). The 600-dpi default
setting for print resolution on ordinary paper is also far above the 360 dpi delivered by the PX-1700F and
means that these machines can print exceptionally crisp, sharp text and lines. These flagship models have
the highest durability rating in Epson’s business inkjet printer lineup, a confidence-inspiring 300,000 pages
(compared to 60,000 pages for the PX-1700F). Epson released its first dye-sublimation transfer2 printers.
These commercial inkjet printers support an extensive range of applications, including sportswear and soft
signage. Equipped with UltraChrome DS ink, a four-color inkset with an extreme color gamut specifically
developed for the new PrecisionCore print heads, these printers produce outstanding image quality and
smooth gradations.
In the visual communications business, Epson developed a new generation of smart glasses, wearable
electronic devices that deliver information and visual entertainment to users. The new product offers
increased brightness and improved operability, with a headset unit that weighs only 88 grams, or about
one-third as much as the first generation.
1Images per minute (ipm) is the number of single-sided prints a printer can produce in one minute using
the default settings of the printer driver. Testing is performed using the Office Category Test of the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which sets the standard for measuring the
productivity of printers.
2In dye-sublimation transfer printing, an image printed on a sheet of transfer paper is transferred to a
polyester substrate by using heat to turn the sublimation ink into a gas so it permeates and fuses with
the substrate.
Devices and precision products
In the micro-devices business, Epson developed new real-time clock modules3 that have built-in
temperature-compensated crystal oscillators. In general, it becomes more difficult to maintain and improve
the accuracy of real-time clock modules as their components become smaller and their assembly densities
increase. Epson, however, successfully reduced the size of its modules without trading off either accuracy
or current consumption (typically 0.70 microamperes) compared to products then on the market. It
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