Interest in inkjet drives new participants at TheIJC 2016

ESMA has reported strong interest in new participants for its forthcoming The Inkjet Conference (TheIJC) 2016 event, driven by growing interest in the digital printing process and its possible applications.

TheIJC is an annual event now in its third year

Taking place October 4-6 in Düsseldorf, Germany, TheIJC is an annual event supported by drupa, sponsored by MS Italy and organized by ESMA, a European non-profit association for printing manufacturers in screen, digital and flexo technology.

TheIJC 2016 is the third edition of the conference, which was introduced in 2014. An educational program forms the backbone of the event, with speakers from GEW, Collins Inkjet, Xaar, Fujifilm, Industrial Inkjet, adphos, Marabu among those to speak. TheIJC 2016 will feature two tracks with 50 technical presentations, and a detailed and continuously updated list of presentation abstracts is available here. The range of topics reflects the complete spectrum of components which contribute to the performance of an inkjet system, as explained by Steve Knight, co-founder of TheIJC. ‘Inkjet and digital cover a diverse range of topics and technologies, including precision engineering, chemistry, electronics, software, database management, hydraulic systems, surface science, color management, inkjet printheads and of course a huge knowledge about the specific application. In isolation each of these topics are quite straight forward, but it is their interaction and a weakness in any one of them that will affect system performance. Just as we start to understand one area, we discover several more to explore.’

A series of six half-day workshops on October 4 precede the main event, and which are being offered for free to the first 100 delegates who register for TheIJC 2016. The Inkjet in Packaging workshop, to be chaired by Sean Smyth, is proving the most popular, according to ESMA, and will review the potential evolution and adoption of inkjet in packaging.

The educational content of TheIJC 2016 is supported by a table-top exhibition featuring at least 70 companies. This will include the likes of Sun Chemical, Phoseon Technology, Hapa and IACS.

ESMA said that such has been the growing level of interest in inkjet, as seen at drupa 2016, that 20 percent of table-top space so far booked for TheIJC 2016 has been reserved by new exhibitors. This includes Barbieri Electronic, Baumer Inspection, Crown Van Gelder, DPS Innovations, Kiwo, Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Megnajet, Nazdar Ink Technologies, RJA Dispersions, Smithers Pira, STS Inks and Velvet Jet.

Further, 50 percent of delegates registered to date have never attended an TheIJC before.

‘To know where to start is always a challenge,’ concluded Knight. ‘TheIJC offers guidance for both newcomers and professionals from specific domains who want to broaden their expertise.’

One inkjet workshop of choice, lunches and refreshments are all included in the delegate fee of 695 EUR + VAT. ESMA members pay 605 EUR and academics enjoy a special rate of 160 EUR. Registration is available here.

ESMA has also introduced an TheIJC 2016 app for all platforms (Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone). It is available in the respective app stores as ‘TheIJC 2016’ and contains all conference details with automatic updates.