Inkjet Academy

Theory of inkjet technology

17-18 September 2018

Novotel Barcelona City Hotel, Barcelona, Spain

INTRODUCTION

Knowledge of the technology behind any industry is essential to its development. The Inkjet Academy course covers the basic theory behind the many types of inkjet technology used today and aims to give your understanding of the industry an expert start.

The course will show you how printheads work, the materials used in their fabrication and the theory of their operation. You will also learn how inks are formulated and used, as well as about ink supply and support systems. The course examines how drops are formed, travel and behave on the substrate surface. Fundamental aspects of printer operation such as nozzle maintenance and print quality are also covered.

Presented by Mike Willis of Pivotal Resources and Dr Alan Hudd of Alchemie Technology, the course assumes a basic scientific knowledge and is designed to provide useful background information for anyone entering the inkjet industry, seeking an update on today’s technology or looking for further fields of development.

Course Programme

MONDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

12:30 - 13:30 Registration

13:30 Course begins

Introduction to Inkjet

  • Course overview

  • Types of inkjet technology

  • Drop on demand technologies

  • Thermal and piezo inkjet

  • Evolution of inkjet markets

  • Inkjet patents

Inkjet Ink Technologies

  • Ink types: aqueous, solvent, oil, phase change & UV cure

  • Dyes & pigments

  • Inkjet ink formulations

DOD Printhead Technologies

  • Thermal inkjet

  • Piezo inkjet

    • Piston mode designs

    • Roof mode actuators

    • Stacked piezo technology

    • Shear mode designs

    • Silicon printheads

Inkjet Ink Design

  • Inkjet ink design

  • Understanding the inkjet printing process

  • Drop formation

  • Properties influencing piezo inkjet ink performance

  • Testing an ink for reliability: methods & characterisation

17:30 Session ends

18:00 - 19:00 Reception

Join us for beers, wines and good company!

TUESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER

09:00 Session begins

Printhead Operational Issues

  • Drop placement accuracy

  • Drop ejection frequency

  • Crosstalk

  • Reliability

  • Life issues

Inkjet Ink Materials and Dispersions

  • Range of materials and ink chemistries

  • Evolution of inkjet inks

  • Evolution of dyes

  • Pigments and dispersion technology

  • Dispersion theory

  • Polymers and additives

  • Processes and manufacturing

Print and Image Quality

  • Factors affecting print quality

  • Printhead-ink-substrate

  • Greyscale methods

  • Drop detection

  • Missing nozzle compensation

UV Ink Chemistry and Curing

  • UV curable materials

  • Monomers

  • Oligomers

  • Photoinitiators

  • UV curing

  • e-beam curing

  • Print quality issues with UV inks

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch

13:30 Session begins

System Design Issues

  • Industrial ink supplies

  • Bubble control

  • Nozzle maintenance

  • Mist conrol

Inkjet Applications

  • Coding, marking, mailing, addressing

  • Wide format graphics

  • Industrial decoration - décor & laminates

  • Ceramic tiles

  • Textiles

  • Commercial printing

  • Labels & packaging

  • Printed electronics, bio-medical & 3D printing

Emerging Technologies

  • Kodak Stream

  • Memjet

  • HP PageWide technology

  • Landa Nanography

  • Lead-free piezo

  • Speed & resolution trends

17:30 Course ends

COURSE LEADERS

Mike Willis
Managing Director, Pivotal Resources, Cambridge, UK

Mike Willis is the Founder and Managing Director of Pivotal Resources, an international marketing and technical consultancy specialising in digital printing. He has worked in this industry for the past 30 years, accumulating considerable experience in a wide range of imaging technologies.

Recognised as an industry expert, he regularly speaks and gives tutorials at printing conferences in Europe and North America. In addition he is the publisher of Directions, a service that monitors inkjet patents and significant product launches.

Dr Alan Hudd
Founder & Director, Alchemie Technology, Cambridge, UK

Dr Hudd is Director and co-founder of Alchemie Technology Ltd, an independent contract development and consultancy company to the industrial inkjet industry. Alchemie is developing and commercialising a range of novel printhead technologies through its Joint Venture company, Jetronica. Jetronica specialises in supplying solutions to selectively pattern liquids and powders capable of using a wide range of chemistries from graphene through textile pre-treatments and 3D printing of metal powders to drugs for implantable drug devices.

Alan Hudd was the Founder and Managing Director of Xennia Technology from 1996 to 2012.

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