Meteor launches new electronics platform to overcome worldwide chip shortages

Meteor Inkjet Ltd, a leading supplier of electronics, software, tools and services for industrial inkjet, has developed a new electronics platform to avoid reliance on key computer chips that are in worldwide short supply in 2022. Meteor’s Print Controller Card (PCC) is used by hundreds of OEM customers around the world to synchronise image data sent by a PC to arrays of printheads including those by EPSON, FUJIFILM Dimatix, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Seiko Instruments, Toshiba TEC, XAAR and Xerox. The PCC was reliant upon an electronic component which is in critically short supply this year, potentially delaying more than £4 million (British pounds) of printhead drive electronics.

In quick response to the diminishing availability of alternative components, Meteor identified a suitable replacement chip that was freely available in high volume, taking the unusual step to acquire more than a year’s supply of the new chip before even starting development. The risk of this decision paid off, and Meteor’s new PCC2 print controller is now shipping in production quantities. Jonathan Wilson, Vice President, Business Development, Meteor, said, “Meteor’s products are trusted as the most reliable components with which to build an industrial inkjet printer. He adds that the company’s customer base has been grown over the last decade to make Meteor the largest datapath supplier in the industry, had to wait for them to find a solution to what continues to be the worst chip supply shortage ever and their patience is now being rewarded, and they will quickly clear the order backlog that developed over the last two quarters.