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NEW DIGITAL FORMAT – Ongoing Event

Inkjet Age of Materials Conference

2020-2021

November 18, 2020 – November 17, 2021

Bimonthly Digital Online

Conference Sessions

Announcement

As a leading provider of high-level, strategic digital print industry conferences and renowned courses, IMI has been instrumental in promoting and supporting the digitization of the printing industry and its expansion into manufacturing applications.

NOW the time has come to utilize the available digital tools and technologies and apply them to the conference and course formats to maximize efficient information transfer, facilitate relationship building, and stimulate continued growth and expansion for digital print and manufacturing technologies.

 

Having served as a primary strategic information source for the digital and inkjet print industries for over thirty years, IMI is pleased to commence with the first offerings of next generation information resources for this community.

 

IMI’s inaugural ongoing digital conference will include:

  • Sessions on a scheduled basis every two months

  • Three 30-minute presentations by recognized industry leaders for each session

  • 5 to 10 minute commentaries on each session’s topics from consultants, end-users, researchers, etc. with different perspectives on the session topics

  • Q & A opportunities via chat/live options

  • Suppliers Forum presentations: 1 to 3 per session

  • Downloadable handout materials including full participants list

  • Handout materials downloadable by conference participants

  • Recorded sessions available to conference participants following each bimonthly session

  • Each session scheduled to last 2.5 to 3 hours

  • If possible, a live-in person summary/update conference session will be scheduled at a later date. Updates on this will follow as we assess the ever changing concerns impacting health/safety, travel, and group gatherings such as conferences.   

  • Since the format will be evolving throughout the year, additional ideas for features, topics, speakers, etc. are welcome and solicited!

IMI will continue to offer its high-level strategic and timely digital & inkjet industry information resources via conferences and courses – incorporating both on-site and web-based components as dictated by the regulatory, societal, and industry needs.

 

IMI will also be adding significant new online content throughout the remainder of 2020 and beyond. We are very excited to be offering new options in the digitization of the information transfer industry.

 

IMI’s mission has always been to provide the latest digital print and inkjet technology, market, and applications information to the broadest possible cross section of industry participants. Based on the current world order of expanded virtual services; IMI will be broadening its information resources via multiple methods – Stay Tuned for More Announcements!

 

Our goal is to develop an expanded “digital print & inkjet community” focused on generating excitement about rapidly expanding technology developments, markets, applications, and opportunities - thus benefiting all industry participants

and end users.

   Sponsors of the IMI Inkjet Age of Materials Conference 2020-2021 and theinkjetuniverse

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Conference Focus

IMI’s digital Inkjet Age of Materials Conference 2020-2021 is designed to address the current and needed developments in inkjet materials necessary to realize the full potential for inkjet technologies in current and new applications.

 

The inkjet industry has made great strides in developing successful inks and functional fluids for many applications, yet continued ink and fluids development is considered by many to be the most essential component for inkjet’s continued applications diversification and market growth.

 

IMI’s Inkjet Age of Materials Conference 2020-2021 addresses the challenges, options, and opportunities associated with future inkjet materials requirements, technology choices, drivers & barriers, and other issues required to effectively implement inkjet ink and fluids technologies for applications expansion and diversification. This strategic conference for the inkjet industry provides high value information on innovations, trends, and issues for senior executives, commercial managers, development teams, end users, and others looking to expand their knowledge and understanding of materials developments, products, and technologies shaping the future of inkjet as well as exchanging ideas with industry experts and peers.

 

This year-long event will consist of 6 bimonthly sessions starting November 18, 2020 and concluding on September 15, 2021 and will include the following elements:

  • Updates & views from industry pacesetters

  • Market & opportunity perspectives from industry experts

  • New technology needs & introductions

  • Interactive Q & A opportunities

  • Suppliers Forum presentation opportunities

  • Sponsorship opportunities

  • IT Strategies annual market report: The Numbers

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Inkjet Age of Materials Conference 2020-2021

November 18, 2020 – November 17, 2021

Bimonthly Digital Online Conference Sessions

Session 1 - November 18, 2020

Session 1 Speakers

Stephen Buchanan, Kao Collins Inc.

Mark Hanley, I.T. Strategies

Dr. Simon Kew, Alchemie Technology

Paul Middleton, HeiQ

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COVID’s silver lining

Mark Hanley, President, I.T. Strategies, Hingham, Massachusetts

  • Production digital print

    • Can soon become primary focus of CAPEX

    • And on an accelerated timetable

  • Review of damage & opportunity by print sector

  • How vendors & users need to prepare

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Digital coated medical textile fabrics in response to global pandemic created by COVID-19 using HeiQ Viroblock  

Dr. Simon Kew, Managing Director, Alchemie Technology, Cambridge, UK and Paul Middleton, Global Technical Director, HeiQ Materials AG, Zurich, Switzerland

  • Novara digital coating system 

  • HeiQ Viroblock coating 

    • Effective against SAVS COV 2 (cause of COVID-19) 

    • Only coating with vesicle vessels (destroys viral membrane in minutes) 

    • Also effective against bacteria 

    • Works on all fabrics & straight forward to apply  

  • PPE coatings 

  • Other functional textile coatings 

  • Future

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Formulating inkjet inks for plastic packaging and labels

Stephen Buchanan, Business Development Manager, Kao Collins Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Current state of plastics

    • Industries

    • Regulation

    • Waste

  • Kao’s ESG strategy

  • Inkjet ink development

  • Digital inkjet chemistry

    • Markets

    • Value chain

    • Challenges: Environmental and others

  • Water-based formulations: Dye vs. pigment

  • Future of digital inkjet

Session 2 - January 20, 2021

10:00 am (Eastern US) / 4:00pm (Mainland Europe)

Session 2 Speakers

Dr. Mark Bale, DoDxAct

Terence Kenneth, Ink Intelligence

John Palazzolo, Adphos North America

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Expanding aqueous inkjet applications with aNIR drying 

John Palazzolo, Director, Marketing & Sales, adphos North America, Brookfield, Wisconsin

  • How aNIR (advanced near Infrared) technology works 

  • Where aNIR fits in the overall drying/curing world 

  • Application, media, and ink considerations 

  • aNIR drying: Benefits & trends 

  • Highlights from case studies

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Formulating bulletproof inkjet inks

Terence Kenneth, Founder & CEO, Ink Intelligence, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  • Digital print strengthens its footprint into print applications

    • Expansion of everyday packaging, industrial applications & more

    • Increasingly demanding ink performance criteria

    • Importance and role of ink formulation to meet application requirements

  • Proven strategies for targeted functionality in aqueous and eco-solvent inks

  • Techniques for making inks more abrasion and scratch resistant

  • How to formulate inks for improved water and solvent resistance

  • Examples and trends

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Lab testing inkjet materials

Dr. Mark Bale, Founder, DoDxAct, Somerset UK

  • Challenges created by inkjet penetration into so many applications

    • Building on experiences from working with wide range of chemistries

    • Demonstrative examples from the laboratory

  • Importance of a flexible approach to lab prototyping

  • Concept & implementation of modular platform to efficiently meet market needs

  • Potential for future modifications for specific needs & requirements

Suppliers Forum Presentations

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Session 3 - March 17, 2021

10:00 am (Eastern US) / 4:00pm (Mainland Europe)

Session 3 Speakers

Anthony Carignano, ACTEGA North America Technologies

Mike Higgins, Phoseon Technology

Randy Norris, Modnadnock Paper Mills

Quinn Stewart, Digital Color Ink LLC

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UV LED: Innovative & sustainable inkjet curing solutions

Mike Higgins, Director of Sales, Americas, Phoseon Technology, Hillsboro, Oregon

  • Reliable, eco-friendly, energy efficient & more!  

  • UV LED solutions for digital inkjet pinning & full cure single pass 

  • Integration capabilities, options, and examples for diverse applications  

    • 3D printing  

    • Bottles/cylindrical objects  

    • Coding/marking  

    • Packaging/labels  

    • Signage/posters  

  • Future development & market trends

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Signite™ materials development enable new glass container label decorating option

Anthony Carignano, Technical Director Marketing, ACTEGA North America Technologies, East Providence, Rhode Island 

  • Transformation of FMPCG driven by COVID-19 

  • New & improved recycling and reuse models required 

  • Signite’s patented chemistry & customized hardware for labels 

  • Signite glass container decorating process, media & workflow 

  • Performance attributes  

  • Value proposition vs. PSL, screen, DTO printing 

  • Signite business model 

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ENVISual Board: The Un-Plastic Alternative to Styrene

Randy Norris, Regional Manager, Modnadnock Paper Mills, Bennington, New Hampshire and Quinn Stewart, Content Marketing Manager, Digital Color Ink LLC, Baltimore, Maryland 

  • Retailers & brands desire to enhance in-store marketing sustainability profiles

  • Sustainability oriented innovation 

  • EnviPortfolio of papers - Making technical specialty coated papers  

  • ENVISual Board - Renewable fiber-based solutions for wide format PSPs

  • Development & marketing trends for sustainable fiber-based products

Suppliers Forum Presentations

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Session 4

Session 4 - May 19, 2021
10:00 am (Eastern US) / 4:00pm (Mainland Europe)

Session 4 Speakers

Dr. Marc Graindourze, Agfa
Paul Simutis, DataPhysics Instruments USA Corp.
Debbie Thorp, Global Inkjet Systems

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Inkjet system design and importance of diagnostics

Debbie Thorp, Business Development Director, Global Inkjet Systems, Cambridge, UK

  • Design Principles of ink delivery systems 

  • Troubleshooting issues & methods 

  • Importance of diagnostics in complex systems

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Water-based inkjet inks for interior decoration & packaging applications

Dr. Marc Graindourze, Business Manager Industrial Inks, Agfa, Mortsel, Belgium

  • Promising future for decoration & packaging printing  

  • Key elements 

    • Ink design 

    • Relation of ink & print system 

    • Ink manufacturing processes 

  • Evaluation of key elements for 

    • Printing on décor paper for laminates (floor and furniture) 

    • Corrugated packaging

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Pico-liter drop dispensing of inks from disposable cartridges for contact angle measurements on substrates

Paul Simutis, Technical Service & Applications Manager, DataPhysics Instruments USA Corp., Charlotte, North Carolina 

  • Inkjet ink & substrate compatibility critical for optimal print quality  

  • Substrate wettability using optical contact angle device  

    • 30 pico-liter drop volume from disposable cartridges 

    • Easy to fill disposable cartridges 

    • No need for cleaning process after each test  

  • High speed camera enables 

    • Contact angle change due to absorption measurements 

    • Speeds as fast as 1 millisecond   

  • PDDS picoliter drop delivery technique enables 

    • Ink formulation trial testing 

    • Conditions closely resembling inkjet printing process

Suppliers Forum Presentations

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Session 5 - September 15, 2021
10:00 am (Eastern US) / 4:00pm (Mainland Europe)

Session_5

Session 5 Speakers

Paul Best, ImageXpert 
Grant French, Eastman Kodak Company
Mark Geeves, Color-Logic

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What is next for digital printing?

Mark Geeves, Director of Sales & Marketing, Color-Logic, West Chester, Ohio 

  • Historically, color management has been used to match digital press gamut with CMYK offset   

  • Personalization & variable data were the differentiators between digital & offset              

  • Today, digital presses differentiate work for brand clients with:  

    • Extended color gamut (ECG)  

    • Neon & fluorescence inks/toners 

    • Silver & white inks/toners   

  • Current & future differentiation techniques available with digital, conventional & hybrid printing for commercial & packaging applications 

  • Implications for the graphic design community

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Kodak’s pigment print technology & offering

Grant French, Director of Digital Ink Sales, Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York

  • Kodak’s history as an ink OEM 

  • What makes Kodak’s inks different 

  • Kodak’s DTG portfolio & what’s new 

  • Wide format roll-to-roll 

  • New for 2021

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Evaluation of inkjet imaging materials

Paul Best, Director of Engineering, ImageXpert, Nashua, New Hampshire

  • Materials make or break inkjet applications 

    • Untangling causality can be complicated 

    • The solution: test both intermediate steps & final results 

  • How to analyze & optimize performance of inks, ink components, functional materials, coatings

    • Where to start, how to proceed?  

    • Step by step, what's relevant & what's not? 

    • Key performance metrics & how to measure them   

  • Example results: Images & data  

Session 6 - November 17, 2021
10:00 am (Eastern US) / 4:00pm (Mainland Europe)

Session 6

Session 6 Speakers

Dr. Simon Daplyn, Sun Chemical 
Dr. Christoph Hilgers, Momentive Performance Materials GmbH
Paul Simutis,
DataPhysics Instruments USA Corp.

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Functional hardcoats in industrial applications - Opportunities for digital inkjet printing

Dr. Christoph Hilgers, Global Technology Platform Leader, Momentive Performance Materials GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany

  • Functional hardcoats used in plastics manufacturing to provide

    • Scratch, abrasion, & chemical resistance

    • Easy-to-clean properties

    • Long-term weather protection

  • Widely used in automotive, construction, & electronics industries

  • Traditionally applied using conventional coating such as spray coating

  • New methods including inkjet printing provide

    • Increased design flexibility

    • Improved coating process efficiency

  • Overview of different hardcoat systems

    • Applications

    • Performance

  • Real-world examples of inkjet printing hardcoat industrial applications

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Pigment inkjet ink developments

Dr. Simon Daplyn, Manager Product Marketing, Sun Chemical, Letchworth, UK

  • Evolution & growth of pigment inkjet inks

  • Addressing customer needs: High fastness, multi-substrate compatibility, consistent color, & outstanding print performance

  • Sustainability goals & programs

  • Launch of Xennia® Pearl pigment inks

    • Utilizes proprietary pigments & resins

    • Inks for both mid-viscosity & high-viscosity printheads

    • Addresses textile industry’s move to simpler workflows, waste reduction, & lower water consumption  

    • Increased fastness performance on polyester & cotton-polyester blends

  • Future trends: Technology & applications

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Live demonstration of Pico-liter drop dispensing system (PDDS) for contact angle measurements on substrates  

Paul Simutis, Technical Service & Applications Manager, DataPhysics Instruments USA Corp., Charlotte, North Carolina 

  • Printhead like drop dispensing with PDDS

  • Picoliter drop delivery technique

  • Integrated drop watcher function

  • Objective & reproducible measurements with automation

  • Emulation of inkjet printing process

Why an Ongoing Digital Event Format?

Since March, we have spent a great deal of time evaluating alternative digital approaches to providing effective and timely information, content, and contact development to the digital and inkjet industries.

We’ve arrived at our ongoing digital event format with bimonthly presentation sessions to enable a more cohesive and snappier option to build an involved community in the critical area of inkjet materials which are an essential element for the industry’s continued application expansion and market growth.

One major element in our decision that after participation in numerous online events, we have observed that participants attention spans and concentration are “challenged” by sessions ranging from 1/2 day to multiple days.

Thus, our goal is to provide a versatile ongoing resource which will benefit all those in the inkjet materials field.

We welcome your thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc. as we are sure our concept will be an evolving one over the course of the upcoming year. Welcome aboard!

Speaking Opportunities

If you have a potential topic for presentation at this or another IMI conference, please submit your proposed presentation topic and a brief outline to Al Keene (al@imiconf.com).

 

IMI is always looking for potential speakers for upcoming conference programs and will be pleased to discuss your ideas for potential presentation topics.

Suppliers Forum

Ten Minute presentations related to materials technologies, capabilities, services, new product introductions, etc.  We will schedule one or more live Suppliers Forum presentations for each bimonthly session and the recorded presentations will be made available online for participants. The Suppliers Forum is open to all conference registrants. For additional information or to sign up, contact Al Keene al@imiconf.com or check off box on registration form. Suppliers Forum presentations will be on a first come/first scheduled basis.

Conference Sponsorship

IMI will be announcing sponsorship opportunities to enable inkjet industry participants to position themselves “front and center” before a key group of inkjet industry business leaders including executives, product developers, technologists, major users, etc. PLUS distributing their message to IMI’s global database of nearly 20,000 relevant contacts.

 

Our goal is to develop a “community” focused on the conference program and the Sponsors to generate excitement about inkjet materials technology, market, and application developments - benefiting all industry participants and end users.

 

For additional information on sponsorship opportunities contact Al Keene al@imiconf.com

About IMI

IMI sponsors conferences and courses world-wide to assist in understanding technology developments, markets and applications requirements. IMI conferences and courses offer unique opportunities for leading hardware, technology development, consumables, software and user companies to learn, network, and develop a comprehensive understanding of current as well as future developments impacting successful product implementations, market entry/expansion, and technology utilization. Since 1990, IMI has held over 700 programs attended by well over 25,000 technical, marketing and management personnel from companies around the world.

 

IMI programs are designed to enable attendees to obtain the latest technical, market and application information while allowing time to network with other attendees in a time and cost efficient manner.  Attendance at an IMI program enables attendees to meet with an industry’s leading experts in a single location over a short period of time thus maximizing information transfer efficiency and minimizing travel and time expenses.



Details on all of IMI’s activities can be found on our web site www.imiconf.com or by contacting us:

IMI
1106 Valley Crossing
Carrabassett Valley, ME  04947
USA
Phone: +1-207-235-2225
Fax: +1-207-560-9119
Email:
imi@imiconf.com

Web Site: www.imiconf.com

Join our LinkedIn Inkjet Innovation Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12163161   
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvinkeene/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IMI_conf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imiconf/

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