IMI Europe began its Summer School programme of courses in 1999 in Cambridge, UK. Since then the programme has grown to support the industry. It was really encouraging in the early years to see scientists and engineers from companies I'd never heard of attend, and then 2 years later see their newly launched products at major trade shows. Over the years hundreds have attended a wide range of courses.
With the industry growing, IMI Europe has this year launched a winter programme too - Winter Workshop 2017 in Barcelona 23-27 January. One of the courses is brand new, one is running for the first time in Europe, and one is a regular and a firm favourite with delegates.
SINGLE PASS INKJET DESIGN is led by Rob Rogers of Print3 Technologies (and formerly of FUJIFILM Dimatix and EFI Jetrion). As a consultant he has been working with Heidelberg and Mark Andy among others, and is well respected in the industry. Rob will be taking delegates through the whole design process, from understanding what limits print speed through to process development and optimising ink behaviour on the substrate. Anyone involved or contemplating developing products using a single pass architecture - commercial printing, packaging, corrugated, decor, textiles etc. will benefit from his expertise.
INKJET DROP BEHAVIOUR is led by Dr Emma Talbot, Dr Stephen Hoath and Dr Cristina Rodriguez-Rivero of the University of Cambridge. This course is all about drop-substrate interactions during inkjet printing, including the effects of inks, surfaces, fluid flows with particles, aerodynamics of drops, drying and curing, and assessment of print quality. It should appeal to anyone involved in printhead and ink development, substrate development, and for both printing and deposition applications. The team at Cambridge University has built up a tremendous expertise through primary research during the past decade, and this is a great opportunity to learn more about the fundamentals of the process.
INKJET INK MANUFACTURING is led by experts from Sensient. With ink jet being applied to an ever-widening range of applications, the inks required are also becoming more diverse. Therefore today inkjet inks are being developed by a wide range of companies, not just the traditional ink suppliers. It's not easy getting a new type or formulation of an inkjet ink running, but when you do you reach the big question - how do I scale up for manufacture? That's where this course comes in, describing the process of testing and developing an ink for manufacture, and then the manufacturing process itself. Even if you are planning to sub-contract ink manufacturing you still need to understand the issues of scale-up. Another great opportunity to learn from experts who have been through this process.
Full information on all of these courses is available on the IMI Europe website, and there are discounts for multiple delegates and courses. Do take this opportunity to boost the expertise and knowledge within your company.
Mike Willis