After an enthusiastic reception of the inaugural edition last year, The Inkjet Conference (TheIJC) returns to USA on 22-23 May 2019. Staged at Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare the event features 20 hours of industrial presentations and technical lectures on the newest developments in inkjet engineering and inkjet chemistry. Companies and research institutes are now called to submit their presentation abstracts.
TheIJC has been developed by the European Specialist Printing Manufactures Association (ESMA) and Di- gital Direct Technologies in partnership with drupa, the no. 1 worldwide exhibition for printing technologies. The first European edition was launched in 2014 and since then the conference has experienced a continuous growth in both individual attendees and the number of companies who come to learn and network about the advances in industrial inkjet.
Following the success in Europe and increasing demands to enter a more global dimension, TheIJC held their first US event in April 2018, with a total of 225 participants who proved very positive in their feedback. “The conference was outstanding in providing digital inkjet printing information!”, exclaimed Gary Jagielo from WestRock. “Conference presented an excellent range of topics and subject matter experts. I found TheIJC to be very thought provoking and great for idea generation”, said Mike Embree, Director of Engineering at Citronix.
With 40 presentation slots scheduled for this year, the event covers all factors which influence the print sys- tem performance and productivity. “Inkjet and digital encompass a diverse range of topics and technologies, including precision engineering, chemistry, electronics, software, database management, hydraulic systems, surface science, colour management, inkjet printheads and of course a huge knowledge about the specific ap- plication. 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. To know where to start is always a challenge. TheIJC offers guidance for both newcomers and professionals from specific domains who want to broaden their expertise“, explains Steve Knight, co-founder of TheIJC.
The conference programme is grouped into key inkjet topics: Track one being focused on printheads, hardware, software and integration technologies, whilst track two is focused on inkjet ink, ink components, laboratory testing, curing surface science and application related topics. Strong in its innovation aspect, TheIJC welcomes submissions not only from key industry players but also from emerging start-ups and universities who want to highlight the blue sky science and the future direction their research is leading them.
About ESMA
Since 1990 ESMA proudly serves the industrial printing sector. The European association for printing man- ufacturers in screen and digital printing has grown into an organisation representing industrial, functional and speciality print. Throughout the years ESMA developed the Knowledge Hub concept which now provides 70 European manufacturer members and Technology Partners with cross-technology expertise. Every ESMA member enjoys advantageous terms at major trade shows and ESMA’s own conferences. Other benefits include access to technical seminars and committee meetings. Partners and members receive support and advice re- garding health, safety and environmental legislation and participate in setting industry standards.
