The second and final day of the FuturePrint TECH event has come to a successful close. Marcus Timson opened the day by reflecting on the achievements of Day One and setting the stage for the upcoming talks on sustainable and innovative print solutions.

The morning sessions kicked off with a presentation by Simon Daplyn from Sun Chemical, who spoke about the growing demand for water-based inks and the steps needed to make breakthroughs in this area. Christophe Imbert from Lubrizol followed with a comprehensive overview of sustainable packaging, looking at both the challenges and the opportunities in adopting water-based inks at scale.

A particularly engaging session came from Lizzie Bentley and Simon Edwards of IST INTECH and Global Inkjet Systems (GIS), who highlighted the impact of UV LED curing technology on print manufacturing, noting advancements that have made the process more energy-efficient and precise. This led into presentations from experts like Saminu Magami of Nazdar and Edgar Llop from People&Technology, who discussed strategies for improving ink formulations and printhead maintenance to further support environmental goals in print.

Rob Karpenko of Kavalan shared thoughts on his company’s approach to sustainable disruption, recounting their journey and the milestones they’ve reached in reducing environmental impact. Robert Bierfreund from Interprint GmbH continued this theme with a forward-looking talk on where industrial digital printing is heading in the next five years. Dr Alan Hudd from Alchemie Technology closed out the morning with a presentation on digital textile dyeing and the environmental benefits this technology brings, especially in light of rising concerns over textile waste. The morning sessions concluded with an interactive debate on the future of print technology, hosted by Frazer Chesterman and Marcus Timson. This session allowed all delegates to openly discuss the trends, challenges, and opportunities they foresee in print. Some of the top topics that came out of the discussion included Sustainability in Print, the role of AI & Machine Learning, the importance of Partnerships & Collaboration and how to address the Skills Shortage within the industry.

After lunch, the afternoon sessions resumed with Marc Graindourze from AGFA discussing the future of direct-to-product UV inkjet printing. Cabot Corporation continued its support with a valuable session on inkjet dispersions by Veronique Loysch and Dr Lionel Petton, who provided attendees with technical insights and demonstrated Cabot’s role as a key player in the sector. This presentation was followed by Didier Rousseau from Kelenn Technology presenting on inkjet innovation. Rob Karsten from Excelitas closed the event by sharing insights into ‘Optimising Single-Pass Inkjet Curing for Packaging,’ focusing on adapting curing technology across wavelengths to enhance efficiency and quality in packaging applications.

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and contributed to making FuturePrint TECH 2024 such a strong event. We’re excited to keep building these conversations and sharing developments with our community. We also look forward to the FuturePrint TECH Leaders Summit in Valencia on April 1st and the FuturePrint TECH Labels, Packaging & DTS event on April 2nd and 3rd 2025.

In light of the recent devastating floods in Valencia, our thoughts are with all those affected. We believe that holding our upcoming events in the region will contribute to its recovery and demonstrate our support for the local community during this challenging time.