Introducing digital print in manufacturing contributes to just-in-time delivery and personalized or variable content.

Agfa Graphics, during InPrint 2017 | Exhibition for Industrial Print Technology, Orlando, USA, is positioning itselve as a partner for integrating print into manufacturing. Agfa acts as a key partner and connector to anyone involved in manufacturing, helping to integrate digital object printing in the production process.

“Introducing digital print in industrial environments such as product packaging or decoration, contributes to just-in-time delivery, mass customized and personalized or variable content, in an environment-friendly and sustainable way,” says Tom Cloots, Director Industrial Inkjet.

Agfa Graphics has a history as a complete solutions provider in the graphics industry, including a portfolio of chemical consumables. They develop a wide variety of fluids including inkjet inks, primers and coatings. These inks have proven their value for many applications as diverse as marking and coding, product printing, packaging and interior decoration for example.

At InPrint 2017, Agfa will put a wide selection of industrial products on display. Agfa shows printed tubes and containers, customized shoes and personalized PET bottles, using, amongst others, its award-winning patented low-migration inks for food packaging applications. Whether UV-curable or water-based, Agfa inks also deliver the functional requirements for e.g. flooring and furniture on melamine base. Thanks to their consistent color and low metamerism, these inks offer a unique image quality and substrate adhesion. All items on display represent areas in which inks and fluids are used to add functionality or decorate the products by means of digital printing alternatives, on an industrial scale.

The list of applications for industrial inkjet is growing day by day across a wide variety of industries. Some can be printed with Agfa Graphics’ state-of-the-art wide-format printers like Jeti Titan, Jeti Tauro, Jeti Mira or the Anapurna systems. In other industrial markets, there may be a need for specific printing equipment that needs to be custom-designed and completed with targeted ink formulations to match specific application needs.

“InPrint is the place to meet industrial customers that are looking for a competitive advantage. They want access to a process or solution that puts them ahead of the competition. We are eager to collaborate with such companies to integrate print in a specific industrial process,” Tom Cloots explains. “Requirements for digital printing inks can be quite specific with respect to their compatibility with substrates or printing heads. We have dedicated research teams to design the best performimg inks or ink sets for each application.”