Why Xaar - Our Competitive Advantage
Xaar has spent 35 years engineering inkjet technology that handle fluids which others cannot. Our unique combination of architecture, technology and application expertise creates durable competitive barriers in the markets we operate in. This page explains what makes Xaar different - and why that difference is hard to replicate.
The core technical advantage: Ultra High Viscosity jetting
Most industrial inkjet printheads are optimised for low-viscosity fluids similar to consumer inkjet cartridges. Xaar's architecture is designed to handle fluids that others cannot jet.
Our ThroughFlow (TF) Technology keeps ink in continuous recirculation through the printhead, preventing particle sedimentation and eliminating nozzle blocking. This matters enormously in applications where the fluid is viscous, pigment-heavy or contains particles for example in applications such as: industrial coatings, functional fluids, battery coatings, wax and adhesives.
Our Ultra High Viscosity (UHV) capability allows Xaar printheads to jet fluids at viscosities typically five to ten times higher than competing printheads. This is not a marginal improvement, it is the difference between inkjet being technically feasible for an application, or not.
What this means for investors: When an OEM or manufacturer is evaluating inkjet for an advanced manufacturing application involving viscous functional fluids, Xaar is frequently the only printhead supplier that can pass technical qualification. This creates a structurally advantaged position in a growing set of high-value markets.
Head-to-head comparison
The table below compares Xaar's technical capabilities against the primary competing industrial inkjet platforms across the attributes that matter most in advanced manufacturing and functional fluid applications.
| Capability | Xaar | Competition |
| Ultra High Viscosity Jetting | ✓ | ✗ |
| ThroughFlow ink recirculation | ✓ | ✗ |
| High pigment-loading inks | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bulk piezo architecture (no thin-film risk) | ✓ | ✓ - some |
✓ Capable | ✗ Not capable | ~ Limited or partial capability. Based on publicly available technical specifications
The four areas of value proposition
Xaar Advantage
Proprietary architecture & IP
- 35+ years of bulk piezo development
- Significant IP portfolio from £70m+ R&D investment
- TF Technology and UHV patents create replication barriers
- ImagineX platform built on this foundation, powering next 30 years
Xaar Advantage
Deep application qualification
- Qualifying a printhead for a new application can take 12–24 months
- Xaar's fluid optimisation service accelerates OEM development
- Once qualified and designed-in, switching cost is extremely high
- Customer product launches create annuity printhead demand
Xaar Advantage
Full turnkey solution
- Xaar's full turnkey solution offers end-to-end capability
- Competitors sell a printhead - Xaar sells a solution
- Reduces OEM integration risk and shortens development timelines
- Deeper integration = higher switching cost at every level
Xaar Advantage
First-mover in new applications
- First inkjet company with a printhead certified for EV battery coating
- Sole current provider of inkjet technology for automotive coatings
- Early-stage 3D printing partnerships with system integrators
- First-mover advantage creates long qualification lead times for any entrant
Why switching away from Xaar is difficult
When an OEM designs a Xaar printhead into a machine, it is not a component-level decision, it is an engineering commitment. The printhead defines the fluid chemistry, the drive electronics, the mechanical integration, the software control and the production process parameters. Replacing the printhead typically means re-engineering the machine from scratch.
For applications like EV battery coating, where Xaar eX and Nitrox eX have passed specific safety and performance qualification tests, the switching cost is compounded by the cost and time of re-qualifying a replacement. In regulated or safety-critical manufacturing environments, this qualification process alone can represent a multi-million pound investment and 12–18 months of delay.
This dynamic creates a structurally recurring revenue model: once a customer launches a product incorporating Xaar technology, we receive printhead demand for the life of that product, often measured in years or decades.
