InPrint 2014, Exhibition for Industrial Print Technology, will take place from 8 – 10 April 2014 in hall 21 at the Hannover Exhibition Grounds. At this event, more than 100 exhibitors will showcase the latest print machinery and solutions for industrial print production. The show will be co-located to Hannover Messe 2014, exhibition for industrial manufacturing.
The trade show is exclusively dedicated to industrial print as part of the manufacturing process with either a functional or decorative purpose; from functional print for automotive components, household appliances, printed electronics, textiles and packaging to decorative printing of surfaces such as floor coverings and furniture, etc.
Key areas
Speciality, screen, digital, inkjet and 3D print are the five key areas of InPrint. The latest applications and equipment for functional and decorative printing on metal, plastics, textile, glass, ceramics, wood and other surfaces will be on display. The range of exhibits includes machines and systems for industrial print, inks and chemicals, materials and substrates, software, pre-press equipment, finishing equipment, inkjet heads and meshes as well as integrated and customised parts for industrial print production.
InPrint 2014 is targeting print service providers and specialists from the entire industrial print supply chain who are specialised in functional or decorative printing or seek to invest in this highly attractive growth sector for the printing industry.
Visitors at InPrint are print specialists, production managers, heads of R&D, technical directors and designers from the manufacturing industry, from industrial print companies and from traditional print companies.
Industrial print applications
Industrial print is applied to a large variety of production processes, ranging from functional print that enables the functioning of an electronic product to decorative print for individually designed objects and surfaces. Speciality print applications, such as 3D printing are used for prototyping of industrial design or for customised components manufacture.
These applications in industrial printing have opened up new opportunities for the manufacturing industry. Integrated into the manufacturing line, the technologies allow for customised print in mass production as well as for shorter run production whilst providing new creative potential for designers and increasing the speed from design to production. At the same time, risk and costs are minimised as it enables manufacturers to react more flexibly to market requirements.
According to industry experts’ consultancy IT Strategies, industrial print has the potential to grow from the current estimated market valuation of US$100 billion to US$120 billion by 2022. This growth is forecast in line with a general increase in demand for consumer products and mass customised production, such as surface imaging onto plastics, textiles and ceramics.
The functional and decorative print conference will round off the exhibition. The “3D Print Factory” demonstrates the variety of opportunities of 3D printing to visitors.
