ImprimLab’

Objectives of the platform

Today, the ImprimLab’ provides an opportunity to support innovative companies who wish to develop new features for their products in order to maintain and expand their activities. Standard technologies are used for development both in conventional printing and to convey new properties such as barrier functions or interactivity to renewable products.

The general objective is to functionalise all types of medium using printing technology:

• Support producers and users in their development of rotogravure, screen printing, offset, flexography and inkjet printing techniques.
• Use and combine “traditional” techniques for innovative developments of barrier properties through printing or other means of surface functionalisation.
• Use these same technologies for “non cleanroom” printed electronics for functions (electroluminescence, etc.), communication (RFID, NFC, etc.), or even radiofrequency filtering.
• Develop interactive properties on the printed medium (heat sensitivity, photosensitivity, etc.).
• Use new technologies for new functions:
  - Implementation of robots for hybridisation (hybrid printed electronics).
  - Use of lasers for abrasion (subtractive manufacturing).

With the ImprimLab’ platform, the CTP is capable of accompanying all innovative companies, paper and board makers, printers, converting firms, and manufacturers of ink or other functional surface treatment products with their innovative ideas.

A unique set of laboratory facilities and pilots, the ImprimLab’ platform, located in Douai in northern France (59 B Rue Jean Perrin | 59500 Douai) allows proof of concept to be demonstrated before implementation on industrial machines.
Having received support from the EURAMATERIALS competitiveness cluster (formerly MATIKEM) and with financial support from the Hauts de France regional authority through FEDER funding, it means that the CTP can support industrial firms with their development of innovative solutions for their markets.

The platform is thus made up in particular of the following pilot resources:

• i-SpeedJet to reproduce industrial printing conditions in rapid
• JEEP inkjet to harness the performance of industrial jet heads
• i-SpeedFlex to print using flexography in industrial conditions with all parameters and fittings of the process
• ScreenInk for developments in printed electronics by means of screen printing

But also a set of ink and varnish formulation techniques and characterisation methods developed specifically to reach the objectives sought by industrialists:

• FLAT for prediction of undulation in rotary printing with dryers
• i-motto for prediction of mottling
• i-JetSet to objectivise the qualitative characterisation of all types of inkjet printed materials

Equipment acquired in the context of the ImprimLab’ platform with support from the FEDER Hauts de France programme On the left, the robot for hybridisation and on the right, the laser for subtractive fabrication