Today’s inkjet printed fluids can extend far beyond simply providing colour. Many different industry sectors now benefit from advances in inkjet technology, including printed electronics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical, food, coatings and packaging with processes including deposition, coating and building structure.
Inkjet-printed solar cells
Inkjet microneedles
Trypanophobia, otherwise known as a fear of injections or hypodermic needles, is a condition that affects an estimated 10% of the population of America. It’s no secret medical injections have never been very popular amongst children and adults alike. Fortunately, a new technology is being developed for the controlled delivery of medicinal drugs, catering for complex schedules and dosages – all without the potentially daunting need for a hypodermic needle.
Inkjet printing onto non-flat objects (or direct-to-shape inkjet printing)
Many of the objects in everyday life are not flat, but have a three-dimensional structure. Almost all products need to be decorated in some way to make them attractive to buyers, and if the object needs to be decorated with anything more than simple colours, then printing is required. Printing onto three-dimensional objects is a real challenge, no matter what printing technology is used.
Inkjet printing in display applications
Regenerative medicine: inkjet technology's new horizon
Food safety and inkjet inks
Packaging has traditionally been printed to provide information about the product, such as branding, sell-by date, ingredients and nutritional content. The packaging acts as a functional barrier between the ink and the food, although care must be taken to ensure that ink components do not migrate across the barrier and contaminate the food through indirect contact.