WHO IS FINANCING THE $ 7Mil INKJET RESEARCH GRANT ?

[Anonymous]

http://www.printweek.com/digital/news/966298/5m-granted-inkjet-research/
WHO IS FINANCING THE $ 7Mil INKJET RESEARCH
GRANT ?
£5m
granted for inkjet research
November
2009 A consortium of inkjet manufacturers, in association with
Cambridge University, has been awarded a £5m grant for research to help
bring advanced inkjet applications closer to a commercial reality.The
five-year project will see around 10 researchers and four students
dedicated to the initiative from seven university departments, led by
Professor Ian Hutchings of the Institute for Manufacturing, alongside
expertise from the likes of Domino, FFEI, Inca, Linx Printing
Technologies, Sericol, Xaar and Sun Chemical.The aim of the project is
to address the physical challenges behind advancing inkjet processes,
such as how to increase speeds without impacting resolution, and vice
versa.Similarly, Hutchings said that increasing speeds means increasing
the energy needs which, in turn, makes it more difficult to create
consistently round droplets.Other factors that the team will target
include creating a robust single-pass process. Hutchings said it is
important to reduce the number of steps in any manufacturing process, as
even a 99% yield is commercially unusable in a process that requires 50
steps. This means that tackling factors, such as nozzle failure, will
be key to the success of the project.

According to Hutchings,
while there are advanced inkjet technologies already in existence with
commercial applications, such as printing solar cell panels and circuit
boards, or even creating bespoke jewellery using material deposition,
the resolution and robustness of the inkjet processes are still not
comparable with traditionally manufactured equivalents.”It would be very
nice if, in 20 years people, could visit a factory and see inkjet
machines in manufacturing lines, alongside welding and others things,”
he added.The commercial inkjet companies involved will open up some of
their own intellectual property to drive the project forward, as well as
donating funds. Hutchings said one of the most interesting aspects is
to have “direct competitors sitting in the same room co-operating on the
project”.The grant was awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council and the first progress reports will be published
within a year.

[Author]

November 13, 2009 at 11:06 AM