ESMA, the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association, comes to drupa 2024 to present their know-how in industrial applications achieved with inkjet and screen printing. With almost 500 sqm in total and filled with key market players, ESMA member pavilion in hall 3 will offer a 360-degree view on print as part of the manufacturing process.

Much has changed since the last drupa show in 2016. More than ever before, the focus within the ESMA community lies on specialist, functional and industrial print processes – their capacity to serve current market applications and their growing potential for the industries of tomorrow.

“We are building our drupa presence upon the two pillars of our association: screen and inkjet technology. Both techniques have shown resistance, adaptability and creativity during the recent turbulent economic period,” says Peter Buttiens, CEO of ESMA.

High-precision screen printing and innovative direct-to-shape inkjet
The platform for industrial screen printing will witness the market launch of the THIEME 3000 Vision AL which sets a new standard in high-precision and fully automatic screen printing. It has been developed primarily for foil/FIM and sheet material printing in the automotive sector, as well as for decorative panels, membrane switches and household appliances. Other target markets include printed electronics and printed heaters. Company Thieme (hall 3, B81-4) will coordinate live print demonstrations at least twice a day. The process is supported by inks provided by Marabu (B81-1) and visitors to the industrial screen printing platform will also be presented with a sample gallery with contributions from ESMA members Drop (B81-5), ESC (D81-1), Fimor (B81-6), Saati (D81-2), SPS Technoscreen (E81) and VFP (B81-3).

The platform for industrial inkjet will demonstrate innovative direct-to-shape printing. The LabelSaver concept with robot handling system represents a collaborative expertise of K-Flow Consulting (hall 3, booth D81-5) in process development, O&PM Europa in aqueous primers, and ideeGO (D81-4) in inkjet integration. One of the key features of the LabelSaver is its ability to print aqueous inks onto non-porous substrates coated with a primer with remarkable precision. The machine employs nIR units from Lambda Technology (D81-7), ink supply systems from Neatjet (D81-6), UV curing units from IST INTECH (D81-3), printheads from Seiko Instruments (hall 5, C30), as well as electronics and image processing software from Meteor Inkjet (hall 7A, D3). All of these companies contributed to the LabelSaver as part of their joint participation in the ESMA pavilion, completed by other inkjet companies C-Marx (B81-2) and Mankiewicz (D81-2).

We encourage you to experience the potential of industrial print technologies at ESMA platforms in hall 3, booth D81-8 for inkjet and B81-7 for screen printing. For the latest updates on the industrial print platforms please visit esma.com/drupa

Touchpoint Textile with insights from major textile printing players
ESMA involvement at drupa 2024 reaches beyond industrial printing platforms. In hall 4, booth B30, we support the Touchpoint Textile forum with a conference programme composed around state-of-the-art printing on textile substrates. Presentations from industry figureheads take place next to a live microfactory operation and include contributions from Adobe, Brother, EFI Reggiani, Epson, Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems, Kornit Digital, Mimaki and many others. For full programme please visit this page.

ESMA Board welcomes new members
During ESMA’s General Assembly held on the 19th of April in Essen we welcomed three new names on the Board of the association: Simon Bornfleth (Marabu), Aliasgar Eranpurwala (Seiko Instruments) and Marion Niland (Lotus Holland). With their expertise in screen and inkjet printing technologies, as well as renowned market standing, they will advise and support ESMA’s future plans to the benefit of the entire community.