Cambridge University and nine international companies have formed a consortium with the goal of advancing inkjet technology into a wide range of new applications, from pharmaceuticals to electronics.
Participants include Cambridge Display Technology (CDT), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), local inkjet pioneers Domino Printing Sciences, Inca Digital, Linx Printing, Xaar plc, Fuji spin-out FFEI Ltd., as well as Fuji subsidiary Sericol and global print giant, Sun Chemical.
Nearly $10 million will be invested by participants into a five-year investigation that will examine the underlying science of inkjet technology beyond current capabilities and potentially revolutionize the manufacturing processes of a variety of industrial applications, according to businessweekly.co.uk.
Huge investments have been poured into this technology for more than 40 years, but the actual commercialization has been slow. Capital expenditures can be difficult to justify, especially in a fledgling economy.
Examples of inkjet technology as a viable alternative to traditional manufacturing methods include lithographic printing as well as more exciting and value-added precision products, such as flat-panel displays, printed electronics and photovoltaic cells.
The newly formed consortium seeks to understand and investigate ink formulations, jetting and deposition characteristics and equipment needs to accurately and reliably control the manufacturing of new products.
Group members envision this knowledge being reliably transferred to the factory floor in the form of new products with a stronger, faster, and overall improved process model for industrial inkjet applications.
Though not specifically inkjet companies, CDT uses inkjet technology to manufacture its unique polymer light-emitting diodes (POLEDs), earmarked as a successor to LCDs, while GSK is interested in inkjet potential within the manufacturing process as a dispenser of active agents into tablets, businessweekly.co.uk reported.
Both companies are relying on the project's focus in developing new fluids and inks with a very high solids content. This will allow for greater deposits of materials for electronics and drugs. Another focus will be how the fluids react once they hit a substrate and dry to make a solid deposit.
“It is quite impressive to have these direct competitors as part of the consortium,’’ says Ian Hutchings, a Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing professor who is spearheading the group. “In many ways the development of inkjet technologies for industrial applications has moved ahead of our understanding of the basic science.”
By combining academia with private industry, it is highly likely that new strides and frontiers unimagined will be accomplished. What is particularly interesting is inkjet technology may very well displace itself in some applications.
For instance, inkjet technology may make electronic displays and related components that can eventually replace inkjet printing on paper. Other exciting possibilities that may be realized include dramatic cost reductions of conventional manufacturing processes.
Further, it is highly probable that new applications will be borne from this consortium. Biomechanics, bioengineering, in the medical field will open new horizons. New displays and electronic components also will be optimized for future applications.
The ideal outcome of this consortium is that we will not only enhance our quality of life, but we will create new industries with the prospect of incremental economic growth worldwide.
Editor’s note: This posting came to We Mean Business via e-mail from TechMan, a contributor who monitors industry trends in a variety of fields.
Monday, December 21, 2009
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Some of the best innovations in technology and other fields are derived from a "meeting of minds" to address shared obstacles and look at possible solutions in different contexts. This new group offers the potential of mutual benefits and major advancements. A win-win.
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