Catherine Diamond, Associate Editor 03.29.16
Hilord Chemical Corporation is a Hauppauge, NY-based manufacturer of inkjet inks and coatings for the digital printing industry. The company was founded in 1970 by Paul Sickle and Donald Balbinder.
The company’s product range includes inkjet inks (dye sublimation, UV & UV-LED, eco solvent pigmented, and water-based dye & pigmented); coatings (protective and primer); printers (Mutoh); RIP software (ErgoSoft and ONYX); and custom products (resins/polymers and dispersions).
Hilord begins its ink development at the molecular level with the synthesis of proprietary polymers and additives in its own array of reactors. The company also custom formulates and produces a wide variety of dispersions on site. Hilord offers a diversified suite of products for the digital printing industry that is the result of years of extensive research and development.
According to Jack Papaiacovou, director of product development, “The early years of Hilord were focused on electrostatic liquid toners for office copy machines. In the beginning it was only black, like the Model T. We managed to secure a contract with Versatec and developed a complete 4-color system, and we continued to expand from there.
“We became the key supplier to OEMs such as 3M, Xerox and Raster Graphics,” Papaiacovou said. “We eventually migrated into liquid toner for plotters; we were one of a very few companies that made electrostatic inks.”
Papaiacovou said it was OEM contract work that brought Hilord into the late ‘90s, which is when inkjet came in. “Obviously, we had to adapt to the market’s demands,” he said.
“We worked on developing inkjet ink like the rest of the world,” he said. “For the electrostatic inks the technology was tricky to master. The paper was expensive to make, as well as printers and ink, so there were very few players. There were more players in the market when inkjet became the popular choice. So, we applied a lot of our knowledge about pigment and dye sublimation into oil-based inkjet products.”
Since Hilord had a strong relationship with companies like Xerox and its affiliates, it continued working closely with them to develop new products.
“During the 2000s, we continued developing products for other OEMs, third party inks and private label products,” Papaiacovou said. “At that point, we developed and patented solvent dye sublimation.”
Papaiacovou said that much of Hilord’s success can be attributed to its time working with big companies like 3M and Xerox. “It really solidified our place in the industry,” he said. “It was a bit of a double-edged sword at the time. We were considered the OEMs best kept secret. On the one hand, working with the OEMs put us on the forefront of cutting edge technology. On the other hand, very few people knew who we were.
“As OEMs started releasing the names of who was making what, other OEMs realized that we had a lot of experience. We were approached to do custom development and manufacture products for their printers,” he said.
Going from electrostatic to inkjet was a tremendous moment for Hilord.
“Some of our competitors went out of business at that point,” he said. “We managed to react and adapt quickly to the demands of the new technology. This enabled us to continue successfully.”
Today, the key markets for Hilord include water-based dye sublimation inks, solvent inks, UV inks, UV-LED inks, and coatings.
Papaiacovou believes that what sets Hilord apart is its ability to manufacture some key raw ingredients, such as resins and dispersions.
“When you control every step of the way in the ink-making process, you control the quality of the product from beginning to end.
“Making ink is a very dynamic process, and if you change one of the ingredients then you will disrupt the chemical balance. So, by controlling as many of the variables as you can, and maintaining strict QC guidelines, you’re more likely to maintain batch-to-batch quality and repeatability,” he said.
The company’s product range includes inkjet inks (dye sublimation, UV & UV-LED, eco solvent pigmented, and water-based dye & pigmented); coatings (protective and primer); printers (Mutoh); RIP software (ErgoSoft and ONYX); and custom products (resins/polymers and dispersions).
Hilord begins its ink development at the molecular level with the synthesis of proprietary polymers and additives in its own array of reactors. The company also custom formulates and produces a wide variety of dispersions on site. Hilord offers a diversified suite of products for the digital printing industry that is the result of years of extensive research and development.
According to Jack Papaiacovou, director of product development, “The early years of Hilord were focused on electrostatic liquid toners for office copy machines. In the beginning it was only black, like the Model T. We managed to secure a contract with Versatec and developed a complete 4-color system, and we continued to expand from there.
“We became the key supplier to OEMs such as 3M, Xerox and Raster Graphics,” Papaiacovou said. “We eventually migrated into liquid toner for plotters; we were one of a very few companies that made electrostatic inks.”
Papaiacovou said it was OEM contract work that brought Hilord into the late ‘90s, which is when inkjet came in. “Obviously, we had to adapt to the market’s demands,” he said.
“We worked on developing inkjet ink like the rest of the world,” he said. “For the electrostatic inks the technology was tricky to master. The paper was expensive to make, as well as printers and ink, so there were very few players. There were more players in the market when inkjet became the popular choice. So, we applied a lot of our knowledge about pigment and dye sublimation into oil-based inkjet products.”
Since Hilord had a strong relationship with companies like Xerox and its affiliates, it continued working closely with them to develop new products.
“During the 2000s, we continued developing products for other OEMs, third party inks and private label products,” Papaiacovou said. “At that point, we developed and patented solvent dye sublimation.”
Papaiacovou said that much of Hilord’s success can be attributed to its time working with big companies like 3M and Xerox. “It really solidified our place in the industry,” he said. “It was a bit of a double-edged sword at the time. We were considered the OEMs best kept secret. On the one hand, working with the OEMs put us on the forefront of cutting edge technology. On the other hand, very few people knew who we were.
“As OEMs started releasing the names of who was making what, other OEMs realized that we had a lot of experience. We were approached to do custom development and manufacture products for their printers,” he said.
Going from electrostatic to inkjet was a tremendous moment for Hilord.
“Some of our competitors went out of business at that point,” he said. “We managed to react and adapt quickly to the demands of the new technology. This enabled us to continue successfully.”
Today, the key markets for Hilord include water-based dye sublimation inks, solvent inks, UV inks, UV-LED inks, and coatings.
Papaiacovou believes that what sets Hilord apart is its ability to manufacture some key raw ingredients, such as resins and dispersions.
“When you control every step of the way in the ink-making process, you control the quality of the product from beginning to end.
“Making ink is a very dynamic process, and if you change one of the ingredients then you will disrupt the chemical balance. So, by controlling as many of the variables as you can, and maintaining strict QC guidelines, you’re more likely to maintain batch-to-batch quality and repeatability,” he said.