By Holly Steedman, IST INTECH

In August, Georgia may be hot and humid, but there was a compelling reason to visit. People & Technology (P&T), a Spanish manufacturer of printhead cleaning equipment, ink testers, and specialist printing devices, along with their U.S. sales and support partner, Graphic Solid Inks (GSI), hosted an event centred on education and knowledge sharing.

This event featured specialist speakers from partner companies who delivered in-depth technical presentations on various topics. These presentations ranged from drop formation, rheology, and surface interactions to curing and drying the final drops on substrates. Each speaker provided detailed insights and practical applications, creating a rich environment for knowledge exchange.

This was the first major event P&T and GSI organized in the USA, and it's precisely what the U.S. inkjet community needs. While there are great conferences, associations, and events in the U.S., after 1.5 years of extensive travel, it's clear that the industrial inkjet communities here are not as established as those in Europe. Many U.S.-based attendees echoed this sentiment. This is also why GSI and P&T are eager to expand this event model in the USA, having found great success with similar events in Europe. Their belief in partnerships underscores their commitment to this initiative.

If you look at People & Technology's company objectives, one resonates with the event's goals: “PEOPLE should be the central axis around which the business would pivot. A company created by people, for people."

In an era saturated with events, there's a growing trend toward smaller, more focused gatherings that cater to people's specific needs. This event, for instance, aimed to share technical knowledge to empower integrators, machine builders, and ink and coating manufacturers to advance their technical development, thereby pushing inkjet technologies forward. We all share the common goal of continually improving inkjet processes. This type of event is precisely what the U.S. industrial inkjet community needs, as there is a gap in this space. Engineers and chemists need a platform to learn and connect with the right partners, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

The event was hosted at GSI's facilities in Alpharetta, not far from Atlanta. They have a fantastic venue, complete with a meet-and-greet space, catering, and a vast open area with a stage and seating for attendees—complete with tables and chairs, which are essential for taking thorough notes at a technical conference! Technical demonstrations were conducted in multiple lab areas and the demo area.

GSI, aside from being P&T's sales partner in the USA, is an innovative company. They have developed a range of piezo inkjet marking, coding, and packaging printers under their NoLabel™ and Colorize™ product lines. These printers, which include black and white printing that can replace labels on corrugated materials, offer many benefits. Their full CMYK option also opens up vast possibilities for customized and on-demand packaging. GSI also has complete ink development labs and can create a range of inks. They were fantastic hosts and took great care of the guests, with P&T's CEO Javier Gaya Fuentes leading the preparation of delicious Spanish cuisine. The day's atmosphere capped off with a cornhole tournament and fantastic food, was unique and excellent for networking.

People & Technology's Edger Llop opened the conference with a presentation on their printhead cleaning technology and how it can reduce waste. He shared compelling examples of how many printheads have been saved by their technology. This was the first time I heard them delve so deeply into the sustainability aspect, and it made perfect sense. I had previously focused only on the cost-saving element, but this made me reconsider. The resource use in manufacturing electronic devices is a significant global issue. The most substantial energy impact of a printhead likely occurs during its manufacturing, as natural resources are consumed. While I don't have figures for printheads, it takes an average of 132 kg of fuel to produce the microchips in a desktop computer. The energy required to produce a single microchip exceeds the average energy used by a computer over three years (source: Lowtech Magazine). It would be interesting to investigate the figures for printhead manufacturing. As they discussed, prevention is key to prolonging the life of printheads, thereby reducing their environmental impact. Another interesting point was that suppliers like Seiko are now actively considering the cleanability of printheads in their design, making them easier to clean and thereby reducing electronic waste.

Tri Trulahdar from Trijet presented an energetic session on ink, waveform optimization, and complex rheology. One key takeaway from Tri's session was that waveforms alone cannot solve ink issues; instead, it's a combination of ink formulation and waveform optimization that achieves the perfect drop placement. The rheology session was particularly intriguing; any ink or coating formulator for inkjet should listen to it. Reflecting on my lab days, I wish I had access to the Rheometers that replicate the shear rates experienced in the jetting process—ink in the bottle behaves very differently from ink in the printhead!

Matthew Pullen from Meteor provided a fantastic overview of the print ecosystem. He discussed selecting printheads based on application, resolution and grayscale, media and ink considerations, jetting complexities, and tuning jetting and waveform for different colours. Jetting isn’t just about watching drops on a screen; you must understand all the factors influencing it.

Additionally, Peter van Steenacker from Tigres gave an extensive overview of pretreatment solutions, focusing on plasma technology. This technology has evolved significantly, offering many more options for various industrial inkjet applications. His presentation debunked several myths about plasma treatment. Christian Gächter from Lambda Technology discussed their advanced infrared (IR) heating and drying systems and how they provide tailored solutions for industrial inkjet applications.

The event was a resounding success, even with the threat of a tropical storm heading from Florida along the east coast. My company, IST INTECH, and I were thrilled to present our technology to the U.S. market. I've learned from my travels in the U.S. over the last 18 months that weather can significantly impact events and trips, something we experience less frequently in Europe.

The U.S. market is experiencing massive growth in manufacturing inkjet industrial systems. I would love to see the industrial inkjet community grow and develop further, enabling faster growth and additional applications. Events like this are perfect for fostering that development.

By the way, Atlanta often gets a bad rap as a city, but like any place in the world, it has its charm. The city is currently experiencing significant growth and regeneration in various areas. The Beltline, for example, is a great initiative to create a walkable city by converting former railway corridors into walking and cycling routes, green spaces, and connecting communities. I visited in the evening, and it was wonderful to see the diverse mix of people enjoying the summer evenings.