Megnajet at drupa 2024: Insights and Innovations
Mike and Adam returned from a productive visit to drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf. The event was the first held in eight years and offered a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with our customers, partners, and industry experts while exploring the latest trends in the print industry.
Despite attending during the second week, the show was still bustling, making it feel as busy as the opening day. This level of engagement throughout the event was a pleasant surprise and underscored the anticipation and excitement that always surrounds drupa.
The growth in digital inkjet printing
The prominence of digital inkjet printing at this year’s drupa exhibition was significant. Compared to eight years ago at the show when digital inkjet was emerging, it was fascinating to see the development of many major brands and OEMs now showcasing their digital print machines.
A reliable fluid management system is crucial for OEMs in digital inkjet printing. However, we understand that not all OEMs have the capability or desire to develop their own fluid systems – which is where Megnajet can help.
From proof to production, lab to fab, we offer a range of systems to provide dependable fluid control and conditioning for an array of applications and the clear demand for inkjet printing means we can help support many of these new developments.
An increase in packaging
One of the most prominent trends noted by the team during the show was the greater prevalence of packaging, in particular, inkjet printing onto flexible and corrugated packaging.
For both these styles of packaging applications, the quality of the white print is key. However, with a number of examples seen at the show its clear there is still some way to go in achieving the right opacity.
Producing a quality white without multiple passes demands high viscosity and high pigment loading capabilities for both fluid management systems and printheads.
This is exactly an area that we are focusing on, as Megnajet’s systems offer recirculation technology within the tank and provide uniform heating, which makes them capable of handling higher viscosity fluids, even when cold. It’s definitely an area that will continue to show growth and one that we can support by enabling the more effective use of inkjet printing.
Research & Development driving inkjet innovations
Megnajet’s system versatility is essential for the challenging R&D applications we saw throughout drupa. Our product range is designed to cater to all industrial printhead types, providing reliable solutions for a variety of application needs.These include:
The Labjet syringe-based system which is ideal for testing small volumes of fluid and initial evaluations.
Our compact system, RackFit is perfect for narrower applications, for prototyping or production, and is compatible with a wide range of printheads.
While our CIMS II is ideal for laboratory to medium-sized machinery and is designed for use with high flow rate and pressure feed technology printheads, also suitable for both prototype and production.
Partnerships
Of course, it’s not just the technology that is important, above all it’s the people and the Megnajet team had a great time reconnecting with many of our partners and making new industry connections throughout the show.
We were proud to see our fluid management systems displayed on various stands throughout drupa, including by C-marx - whose print station demonstrated our reliable HV HFR fluid management system used across Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing applications. KBA and SpiderJet also featured our technology.
The three days at the show – and fifty-five thousand footsteps – highlighted how our commitment to advancing fluid management technology supports our partners' innovation and the growing demands of inkjet as a print technology.
Suffice to say, here’s to drupa 2028!