Leuven – Since 1990, ESMA, the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association, advocates the best practices and latest advances in industrial printing. Over 20 member companies exhibit at the upcoming FESPA global print expo, 15-18 May 2018 in Berlin Messe, and the ESMA pavilion in hall 4 features an “Industrial Print Showcase”, as well as “Ask Industrial Print Expert” sessions.

“To be part of an exhibition such as FESPA means for us to emphasise the role of industrial printing and functional decoration for the entire industry”, says Peter Buttiens, CEO of ESMA. “Like in many other markets, the innovative or niche developments are crucial to stimulate the mainstream technology. It is the mission of our association to transfer the know-how about inkjet and screen printing applications – not only through our educational events but also through joint involvement in FESPA shows.”

ESMA pavilion
Located in hall 4.1, the ESMA pavilion hosts five manufacturer members, suppliers for the screen printing industry. Fimor (4.1, E55) showcases their Serilor line of polyurethane squeegees and related accessories. Lotus Holland (4.1, C64) presents their Evo Compact, a screen cleaning system and the Lumenator, an automatic inline exposure and developing system. KIWO (4.1, C65) shows their screen-printable pressure sensitive adhesives, resists and coatings, as well as screen printing chemicals. In the latter, specifically emulsions for general graphic and industrial screen printing, t-shirt printing and special applications are presented. PVF (4.1, E52), partner of NBC Japan, specialises in high precision meshes made out of materials like nylon, polyester, bi-polyester, polyarylate, stainless steel and tungsten. RK Siebdrucktechnik (4.1, E51) presents their range of stabilised squeegee blades, grinders, peripherals, as well as special application solutions. Julia Fleischer from PVF explains the strong screen printing representation on the pavilion: “Screen printing is the most economic and versatile technology for coating and spot coating for all kinds of substrates both with decorative inks as well as with functional pastes”.

17 further ESMA members – many of them leaders in digital processes – have their booths spread across the show, including Agfa (1.1., A57), Armor Industrial Inks (2.2, D21), Caldera (2.2, C12), ColorGATE (1.1, A40), CST (4.1, F21), EFI (2.2, B30), EPTA (3.1, D43), Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems (2.2, D50), Grafco (4.1, F52), Kammann Spezialmaschinen und Steuerungstechnik (3.1, C68), Marabu (1.2, B30), Mutoh (1.2, B20), Natgraph (3.1, D70), Nazdar (1.2, B35) Roland DG (2.2, B20), Sun Chemical (2.2, D20) and Teckwin (6.2, E40).

Industrial Print Showcase
To obtain a full picture of what ESMA stands for and what screen and digital are capable of, all visitors are invited to the Industrial Print Showcase. Incorporated in the ESMA pavilion, the gallery includes various samples provided by members and their customers, the technology users. The application examples include printed and flocked glass, flocked wallpaper, printed electronics in membrane keyboards, membrane switches, direct-to-shape printed PET bottles and tubes, corrugated boxes, digitally printed interior decoration items (wallpapers, ceramic tiles, aluminium elements, with haptic effects), high resolution 3D inkjet printed objects, as well as examples of hybrid technology to illustrate the joint use of digital and screen for special effects. “In some of the samples which we provided, one can see how the combination of screen and inkjet delivers decorative (overlay décor), protective (window protection) and functional (circuiting, forming possibilities) features – all in one production technique”, explains Corentin Chretien from Fimor. “Knowing that personalisation is the driver for many industries of today, we want to show printing as a process that not only provides individualism and uniqueness but also functional attributes which turn the product into something both personal and fit-for-purpose”, adds Michael Kammann from Kammann Spezialmaschinen und Steuerungstechnik.

Ask the Industrial Print Expert
Several technology partners of the association, including members of the ESMA Expert Team, attend the show to host the “Ask the Industrial Print Expert” sessions at ESMA booth. The experts are available on-site for all those who want to take their printing business to the industrial level, have a technical question about screen and digital processes, or any other enquiry about industrial applications. The expertise of the consultants varies from textiles through printed electronics, up to UV curing, direct-to-shape, labels and packaging. Health, safety and environmental regulatory issues are another field where ESMA experts offer their advice.

The four days of FESPA exhibition are a unique opportunity for those willing to learn more about specialist, functional and industrial printing processes, especially screen and digital inkjet. Visitors to ESMA pavilion in hall 4.1 enjoy the applications showcase, expert advice, an update on the upcoming educational events (Printed Interior Decoration, 5-6 June 2018; The Inkjet Conference, 15-17 October 2018; Advanced Functional and Industrial Printing, 27-28 March 2019, all in Düsseldorf) and, most importantly, they discover the great value of industrial print.