PRACTICAL BLOCKS

 Visualisation of inkjet-printed drops: Demonstration and use of drop watching equipment in order to understand how ink drops are formed in the jetting process of a piezo printhead and how different parameters influence the formation of these drops.

Nano-dispersion quality: How can we check the quality and the stability of a nano-pigment dispersion? The UV-VIS technique for determining the degree of oversizers will be chosen as a show case.

Ink filtration: Demonstration of the filtration of inkjet inks and nano-dispersions in order to check the quality of the inks and dispersions, complementary to particle size measurements.

Adhesion: In this practical session the influence of the level of UV-curing, pre-treatment and the use of primers on the adhesion of UV-curable inks on several substrates will be tackled.

Ink-surface interactions: This practical session will focus on the phenomenon of the spreading of inks on substrates and how that is related to the surface tension of the inks and to the surface energy of the substrates.

Inkjet printing: The printing of water-based inkjet inks and the determination of open time, wetting/penetration and print quality on different media depending on the printing parameters and the type of substrate.

Colour management: Aspects and function of linearization and profiling, colour management in image rasterization, RIPs and colour spaces, the use of suitable measuring technologies.

THEORETICAL BLOCKS

Situating inkjet technology: Where is inkjet used in the industry? What’s its evolution? The holistic approach for integration of inkjet technologies into industrial printing applications: ink/print head/media/process.

Inks for inkjet printing: Overview of the different inks that are currently used in inkjet printing, their characteristics and what makes them so unique for certain applications. What are important aspects to take into account when choosing or designing an inkjet ink?

Printheads: Overview of the different types of inkjet printheads (DOD, thermal, continuous…) and how to make a choice when using them in an industrial printing process.

The jetting process: We’ll further illuminate the ink-printhead interactions and all parameters that influence the jetting process of an ink by a piezo printhead.

Ink-media interactions: Can the spreading of the ink on a substrate be controlled? And what about the adhesion of inks on different substrates?

System Integration: How can we now integrate an inkjet printing process into an industrial production line? What are the important aspects to take into account? (size, speed, environment, robustness, cost, ink supply etc.)

Regulatory challenges for inkjet: From formulation to market: This session will examine the legal use of raw materials according to the REACH regulation and where to find relevant information in safety data sheets. Classification, labelling and packaging will be covered, along with special considerations for particular applications e.g. inks for food packaging

Image quality: Challenges in combining coloured inks (CMYK and White) with specialty colours (Varnish, Extended Gamut, Spot, ...) in an inkjet printing system. How is colour matching achieved in 2D and direct to shape printing?