Inkjet Ink Characterisation

Viscosity, dispersions, jetting & surfaces

Wednesday 12 - Thursday 13 June 2019

Møller Centre, Cambridge, UK

COURSE FOCUS

Development of high quality inks and fluids for inkjet applications requires state-of-the-art characterisation equipment and techniques. From fundamental ink properties such as viscosity and surface tension, which have a crucial impact on jetting performance, through analysis of particulates dispersed within the ink, understanding these properties is key to getting the best out of an ink development project. In addition, it is vital to understand how the developed ink actually behaves, both on ejection from the printhead and when landing onto the substrate of choice.

The Inkjet Ink Characterisation course gives an excellent introduction to these essential areas of study, presented by industry experts from leading suppliers and institutions in the field. The course will give you the basic foundations as well as a more detailed understanding of the vital equipment and techniques.

Live Demonstrations

As part of the course, there will be demonstrations using a JetXpert drop visualisation system - your chance to see the system in action.

COURSE OUTLINE

Wednesday 12 June

08:00 - 09:00 Registration

09:00 Course begins

Monitoring and controlling pigment particle size 
Dr Anne Virden, Malvern Panalytical

  • Understanding the links between particle size and ink performance

  • Overview of light scattering techniques for measuring particle size

  • Pros and cons of different measurement techniques and approaches

  • Practical examples 

Assessing the impact of polymer structure on ink performance 
Dr Serena Agostini, Malvern Panalytical

  • Understanding the role of polymers for inkjet applications

  • Correlating polymer properties with polymer solution behaviour including viscosity

  • Measuring molecular weight, molecular structure and intrinsic viscosity

  • Practical examples

Optimising ink rheology for printing applications
Dr Adrian Hill, Malvern Panalytical

  • Understanding the importance of fluid rheology for inkjet printing

  • Basic rheology theory - viscosity and viscoelasticity

13:30 - 13:30 Lunch

13:30 Session begins

Optimising ink rheology for printing applications - Continued
Dr Adrian Hill, Malvern Panalytical

  • Rheological test methods for inkjet inks and processes

  • Practical examples

Evaluating and improving dispersion stability 
Dr Adrian Hill, Malvern Panalytical

  • Understanding stability mechanisms for ink dispersions 

  • Factors controlling stability – particle size, steric effects, zeta potential and viscosity

  • How to make stable dispersions – selecting the right approach for your ink

  • Practical examples

Basic property measurements - surface tension
Dr Andrew Mellor, KRÜSS

  • Surface tension - introduction

  • Relevance to droplet formation and spreading in inkjet printing

  • Interplay of surface tension and viscosity in drop formation

  • Impacts on wetting

  • How to optimise ink-substrate adhesion and spreading

  • Interfacial rheology and its relevance to drying

  • Theories and methods of measurement - compared and contrasted

  • Application examples from inkjet industry

17:00 Session ends

18:00 - 19:00 Reception

Join us for beers, wines and good company!

Thursday 13 June

09:00 Session begins

Jetting and print quality analysis
Kyle Pucci, ImageXpert

  • Introduction to drop analysis

  • How is in-flight analysis used?

    • Drop formation

    • Reliability

    • Misting

    • Nozzle-to-nozzle consistency

    • Drop measurement

  • Simple application examples

  • Overview of techniques

  • Fundamental measurements

  • Practical demonstration

  • Introduction to print quality analysis

  • How is print quality analysis used?

    • Dot properties

    • Line properties

    • Solid area quality

    • Colour registration

    • Ink interaction

  • Overview of techniques

  • Practical examples

12:30 Course ends

 

 

 

COURSE LEADERS

Dr Anne Virden, Product Technical Specialist
Malvern Panalytical, UK
Anne Virden is a Product Technical Specialist for Diffraction and Analytical Imaging at Malvern Instruments. This role involves supporting customers using Malvern’s laser diffraction and analytical imaging systems to measure particle size and shape in dry powders, suspensions, emulsions and sprays. Anne joined Malvern Instruments in 2007 with a PhD in Physics from the University of York, and has built up a wide-ranging experience of particle characterisation in industries such as paints and pigments, pharmaceuticals, mining and minerals, and is a particular expert in the measurement of spray systems. 

Dr Adrian Hill, Product Technical Specialist
Malvern Panalytical, UK

Adrian obtained his PhD from the School of Chemistry at the University of Exeter, where his work involved rheological studies on high particle-loaded dispersions. Adrian also has industrial experience from Sun Chemical, where he worked to formulate and evaluate a range of inks and electronically-functional coatings. His extensive involvement with rheology measurements  across multiple application sectors has been gained from over fifteen years working as a rheologist, first with Bohlin Instruments, and subsequently with Malvern Instruments, supporting customers working with both rotational and capillary rheometers. With a strong technical understanding of rheometers, Adrian helps users to get the most out of their instruments by optimising their rheological measurements. Working with Malvern Panalytical’s complementary particle characterisation technologies has enabled Adrian to use his background to focus on the properties of dispersed systems – from suspensions and emulsions through to pastes and gels – and help customers understand how the bulk rheology of their materials can be controlled by the properties of the constituent components.

Dr Serena Agostini, Product Technical Specialist – Separations
Malvern Panalytical, UK

Dr Serena Agostini is a Product Technical Specialist for separation, GPC/SEC for polymers, at Malvern Panalytical. She studied Industrial Chemistry in Italy at the University of Pisa and continued her studies in UK, where she obtained her PhD in polymer chemistry at Durham University. During her studies she developed an interest in polymer synthesis and characterisation. She exploited several polymerisation techniques, such as living anionic polymerisations, and she characterised the polymers she synthesised by using, among several characterisation techniques, SEC and TGIC. After spending most of her time in academic research, she is now finding new interests in customer support and product development.

Dr Andrew Mellor, Technical Consultant
KRÜSS, Germany

Dr Mellor obtained his EngD in Nanoscience from the London Centre for Nanotechnology at University College London, focusing on nanoparticle promoted catalysis. He has spent 7 years in the field of surface science and has experience of several analytical techniques including electron/X-ray spectroscopy and high-resolution microscopy. Andrew joined KRÜSS GmbH in 2017 in the role of technical consultant. He provides high-level technical and applications support to both academia and industry on the topics of solid, liquid and interfacial analysis.

Kyle Pucci, Applications Engineering Manager
ImageXpert, USA

Kyle is Applications Engineering Manager at ImageXpert Inc. and lives in Nashua, NH USA. He graduated in 2014 from Villanova University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He specialises in integrating controllers and hardware with the JetXpert dropwatcher and offering support, installation, and training.

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