FuturePrint Podcast
FuturePrint is dedicated to and passionate about the power of print technology to enable new opportunities and create new value. This pod features deep-dive discussions with the people behind the tech as well as market analysis, trends, marketing and storytelling!
FuturePrint Podcast
#274 - KELENN Technology: Innovation Without Boundaries
In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, we speak with Didier Rousseau, CEO of KELENN Technology, and Anaïs Bianchi, Head of KT Labs, about how this pioneering company is redefining the boundaries of industrial inkjet innovation.
KELENN has built a unique position in Europe as one of the few companies capable of mastering the full spectrum of inkjet technology — from chemistry and materials to drive electronics, process integration, and automation. At the heart of the company is KT Labs, a research hub that blends scientific precision with real-world application, enabling innovation to move quickly from concept to industrial deployment.
Didier and Anaïs share insights into several key areas of development, including the shift to sustainable water-based inks that can replace UV formulations, high-performance drive electronics designed for reliability and flexibility, and groundbreaking progress in 3D structural electronics, where circuitry is printed directly onto complex parts to create functional components in a fraction of the usual time.
They also explore KELENN’s work in direct-to-shape printing, a technology that allows vivid, high-adhesion decoration on three-dimensional surfaces — reducing waste and energy use. These innovations demonstrate how digital print is becoming integral to advanced manufacturing.
As KELENN prepares to showcase its technology at FuturePrint Industrial Print, Munich (21–22 January 2026), Didier and Anaïs discuss their vision for the future — a future where inkjet is not just a printing method but a platform for smarter, more sustainable production.
Listen in to discover how KELENN Technology is helping reshape the industrial landscape through innovation, precision, and collaboration.
Listen on:
Apple Podcast
Google Podcast
Spotify
What is FuturePrint?
FuturePrint is a digital and in person platform and community dedicated to future print technology. Over 15,000 people per month read our articles, listen to our podcasts, view our TV features, click on our e-newsletters and attend our in-person and virtual events.
We hope to see you at one of our future in-person events:
FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany
Well, hi there, and welcome to this week's Future Print Podcast. And I have two guests with me today. Initially, I was just going to interview Didier Rousseau, who is the CEO of Kellen Technology, but um I asked him if he'd be joined by his colleague Annace, and she's going to join us for a little bit of conversation. So let me just say hi to the pair of you. Didier, introduce yourself to the audience, and then I'll get Annace to do the same. Didier, tell me who you are and what you do.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. Thank you very much, Fraser. Uh it's always a pleasure to have a meeting with you and Annais as well. Yeah, yeah, very nice. Uh so yeah, we're we're going to try to talk about the actuality of the company, what we are doing, uh, and uh what is the potentials for the next uh months or years that we are working actively and which may interest the the market.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Anais, just tell us what you do at Kellen Technology.
SPEAKER_01:So in Kellen, I'm the head of the KT Labs, which is a lab which is included inside uh KT, and uh our uh duties are to um make progress the RD uh as academic and also to um increase uh the capabilities uh internally of of KT um regarding uh uh development of process or uh or uh inject uh capabilities, yes.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and interestingly, um can I interrupt? I mean, this is the this is the yeah, because this is this is the analysis already is not telling exactly the the the the the exact matter. I mean this is the the uh the heart of the company for RD. Uh and um you know into a company this is very difficult to process RD in uh in an order orderly way, I would say. And what what happens here with uh uh what she's managing is that not only she can manage the uh all the chemistry and process uh issues and and and novelties that we are developing, but also the rest of the team for you know uh electronics, mechanical, uh sometimes optics.
SPEAKER_01:It's a very transversal, uh transversal uh position.
SPEAKER_02:And and by having this lab into the company, we we help everybody work together uh more efficiently.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And I I when I think of Kelly and technology, I often kind of what comes to mind is a one-stop shop for inkjet development and technology. Does that is that sums it up, does it? Do you think? And and why is that why would that be a good way of describing you as a business?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, true. Um, you're right. Um, well, mainly that comes from uh the idea that we are happy to develop uh all the technologies related within jet, not just one. And the reason for that is we found that if we don't resolve the um the problems of post-processing, of uh pre-processing of of uh um viscosity, ink-jet compatibility with uh the ink, the substrate's behavior, uh, how to sinter or heat or dry or cure. I mean, it's it's it's a complex process. In-jet is a complex process. So by um developing all these technologies, we found that it would be fair to be able to offer these technologies separately to the customers the way they want. So they can come to our place and select only, for example, uh some new drive electronics uh for inget that they would like to buy, um, or only software, or maybe a full printer. And in between, you have all the range of capabilities. And if you look at this way of offering uh uh I would say this type of uh um uh relationship with the customers, um uh that allows us to understand better also the the market requirements. I mean, I mean this is some stuff, I believe. Yeah, but that is efficient, I I think very much efficient.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. Uh Anais, just explain to me when we were chatting beforehand, Didier was saying, you know, you're gonna grow as a business. Um how long's business been going and and and and and why is this time so kind of important?
SPEAKER_01:We have uh we have these uh years, we have developed a lot of different technologies, and uh now uh they are uh mature uh to be delivered on the market. Um especially, for example, the um DTS, direct to shape printing, as well as uh printed electronics that uh that comes also in the 3D in 3D uh on the market. And this drives uh a lot of uh of new uh businesses uh in our company. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I'm gonna pull out some of these key areas for you to just describe to us. Um you mentioned two there. We'll we'll come back to those. Let's start though with your development of water-based inks. I know that you're doing quite a lot in this in sort of UV replacement. Tell us a bit about that, Didier.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, um this this is a key uh a key thing for for for the the industry. Uh as you know, uh the the this is the Europe, especially in Europe, we are going to ban almost everywhere UV ink because of the CMR. Uh and and the if if you look at all the solvent inks, it's too difficult to cope with the rich, the new rich requirements. So by the end of the day, if we can replace everything by uh water-based ink, that's a it's a good idea. Everybody knows that. Yeah, the fact is that some ink manufacturers uh in partnership with us, we are very active on that, developing new processes so that uh the ink now can stick reliably on the substrate. So the scratch resistance is going to be huge with the solutions we are delivering to the market, and as well as the uh the addition and and and other um uh aspects. So we are going to match the requirements of the market and through that be able to serve the market efficiently.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And are you able to describe the types of applications?
SPEAKER_02:Sure, sure, sure. Um food industry.
SPEAKER_03:Of course. Yep.
SPEAKER_02:Um, if you look at the food industry, um uh everything which is uh uh on the primary packaging is looking for touch yeah, exactly, is looking for water-based ink. That's very simple. Yeah, and we we can we're going to be able to address most of the applications in this area and in in a nice way, uh, a way which is good also for the energy that you are spending to dry and cure the ink, because that's a key issue. We are trying to increase the environmental uh compatibility, but if we are raising the the energy necessary for that, it's it it'd be it'd be bad. So we we would like really to be able to compete with UV in terms of energy, and I think we are going to be very good.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's that's exciting. Uh and as you say, there's a demand, there's gonna be a demand for that, isn't there, going forward. Um, I know that you also uh are doing some things in driver electronics and and your capacity there. Tell us a bit about that.
SPEAKER_02:Ah, so um uh Anise, do you want to talk about uh yeah Nice?
SPEAKER_03:Do you want to talk about the 3D?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_03:So that's that's that's we don't know the um driver electronics side of it. More DDA, I think. We'll come back to you in the 3D.
SPEAKER_02:Uh yeah, yeah. So we've we've always been developing uh drive electronics for for for ingjet. And the thing is we are more and more now capable to deliver the market as well and to make the market benefit from uh our expertise in this area. And um, so we've we've got now a number of customers in Europe very happy with what we are delivering, superior integration, uh, high flexibility uh for the functionalities that are available into the the drive electronics and a full uh set of software or not, depending on what the customers are looking for. And um, furthermore, uh the architecture is so flexible, it's it's it's uh uh that uh beginning of next year we are going to disclose to the market some very, very interesting innovation into this field of area. So we are now serving customers and we'll expand with uh innovation very shortly.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, you mentioned before we started recording you 2026 is gonna have some announcements from Calvin.
SPEAKER_02:Oh yes, oh yes, that's interesting. Yes, the market will love it.
SPEAKER_03:That sounds good.
SPEAKER_02:Um, let's get back to an ace with the oh just just just because yeah, because if I'm saying that, maybe maybe it's just that saying nothing. No, we're going to make it easy for the customers to start printing with utmost reliability. In other words, you know, everybody is looking for something that when you are going, I'm I'm talking about the the industrial printing, of course. When you are going to start printing, you want to make sure that you are going to be perfect. In other words, no missing jet, no whichever. You know, you need to be sure of the readiness of your in-jet printer before you start printing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And that's what we're going to deliver.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that sounds exciting. Um, so Anais, let's let's go back to you and 3D structural electronics. You've been quite excited to tell us a bit about this. So explain more.
SPEAKER_01:So uh, you know, we've been working on uh on the printed electronics for now more than uh eight years, and uh we we started with uh with a flat uh structure uh electronics um with uh flexible uh materials and uh and uh 2.5D uh materials uh to print uh on and to to we developed a lot of different processes in order to um to print on this and also to make a pick and place of components uh to add more functionalities to to these uh parts or or layers. And uh we move now um forwards to 3D uh structural printed electronics, which is printing directly on 3D parts, and uh this has uh a lot of uh interest for um all the the the markets uh like uh I don't know defense uh automotive um molding uh electro yeah molding uh plastics etc yeah um to add the more functionality to replace functionalities that were uh previously um by uh by uh PCBs, yes. Yeah um and uh so it's to replace this uh this PCB or to add functionality on parts which before uh didn't had any functionalities.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's really interesting. That could be quite game-changing, couldn't it? Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_02:And it's robotics, yes.
SPEAKER_01:So the the architecture is uh is uh also a novelty uh it in in itself, uh since we are using the combination of uh robotics uh with uh with the cartesians, yeah, with a three-axis cartesians. Um and we added uh a lot of different tools inside the machine in order to to mimic to make uh very different uh processes uh from uh printing the the parts with the FDM uh to print on this uh to print um functional lines or functional uh surfaces on these parts and to pick and place and uh and uh add uh add the functionality to the parts.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, really interesting. That's uh that could be quite exciting going forward, isn't it? It's just uh another kind of innovation that you can get from Inkjet. It's amazing, really.
SPEAKER_02:Um it's it's a factory, it's a factory, it's a full factory. Think of Inkjet, replacing the full factory uh now, um all in one big cubes of uh let's say two meter by uh two meter, you know. Yep. Within this area, you replace a full factory for prototyping and developing proof of concepts or small small productions.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:And fully automated.
SPEAKER_03:And the advantages of that are incredible, aren't they? You know, just you can test, you can try it, you can you can you know, without having to go full process.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, can maybe maybe Anaisky, if you can tell us the uh the uh some of the numbers we we've we've discovered regarding the efficiency of of uh the process.
SPEAKER_01:We we compared the the replacement of uh PCB of the processes uh adapted to PCB with uh the process uh with our machine. And uh we compared, for example, for prototyping, it's very interesting because for the production of PCB, uh you make you make uh approximatively six weeks between the conception to the final product uh to get your your PCB card uh into your hands and uh to to attach it to your to your part to give functionality. Here it's very quick, like in three days, you can print and make all the all the different um uh processes uh on your part. So you are you are winning uh 80% of your of the of the time um to make um different iterations of the of the the evolution of your card. Yeah, yeah, brilliant. Fantastic.
SPEAKER_03:Now listen, you you mentioned at the beginning uh your your final area of interest, well, one of the areas that you've got that you're definitely thinking about, which is direct to shape. Always interesting. Um direct to shape because it's another area inkjet can really do some great things. Uh I think you're talking about hybrid screen.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, um, so so okay, most of the printing, industrial printing as of today, is is is uh related with flat surfaces, but we know that now we need to develop the business into uh the rest of the world, which is all the the objects. Any any object needs to be printed uh or have decor. And you need to understand that if you can print in a nice way on on 3D parts, that means that you may avoid paints. Uh and you you if you if you uh you usually you you if you use paints, you have a flat uh uh a complete surface which is painted, and that makes the decor. If you replace that part by something which is nice, a nice decor, it can be smaller, and you may leave the rest of the area uncovered. Yeah, okay. So finally, the environmental aspect will be much better because of course you you there is a reduction in materials which are printed. Now, because of the variety of of substrates, um and the the fact that we are printing in all directions, the ink needs to be more viscous, and as you know, it's quite it's it's a challenge. It's a challenge for the ink, and it's a challenge for uh the the inkjet, you know. The the viscosity is the key feature. So um well, we can we can say it's straightforward. Now we are at a point at Kellen that we can do that at 200 centipoises. 200 cp, yes. Yeah, so that means that the decor can be vivid, that we can print on many different types of structures uh now in 3D.
SPEAKER_03:Really good, really good. And I I guess a lot of this uh kind of innovation comes from the fact you kind of lab this, you kind of test it. Is that right? And I say that's your area, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, of course. We spend uh more than two years in developing uh uh new inks with our partners and to develop this uh this uh new possibilities.
SPEAKER_03:Um yeah, that that's that's the advantage you have, isn't it? Listen, I it's really interesting hearing what you're saying. Um, obviously, you've got you guys are gonna be uh at our event in Munich in January. Are you able to say what type of uh I think you're gonna bring a machine, what type of machine you're gonna bring?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, of course, yes, yes. Um, well, it's just to showcase innovation. The idea is to showcase innovation.
SPEAKER_03:We love that. Showcasing innovation is is what we love.
SPEAKER_02:Um so um we're going to print with um a plant-based ink. Oh, clever for environmental aspects first room uh live. So you can see the the intensity of the print and the quality of the print, although it's plant-based. So uh the question is do you do we really need chemistry always? Um and the the uh the second thing we are going to to showcase on the same machine is um um what's the name in English? It's um um watermark printing. So uh basically the idea is you we can add security on any document which is porous, yeah, uh with viable printing of a watermark.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, very clear.
SPEAKER_02:And that's uh that's an interesting thing because up to now, if you look at the research and development in this area, some things could be done, but that were that were not industrial, first of all, and and the um the the fastness, the life fastness was not very good. And what we have developed is an industrial solution with a very high life fastness. In other words, this is uh you you have it for your entire life.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. However long that might be. Let's see. Yeah. Now listen, that's been really interesting. Um, we've we've covered a few things there. Um really pleased to have had a chance to hear from you, and um, it's very interesting what you're doing. It really is interesting. Um, as we come to the end of the podcast, is there anything else you wanted to add about counter technology? I know that you said yourself within the conversation that you will have some announcements next year. I know you can't tell us too much, but maybe you could explain what you're thinking there.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It's it's it's all about technology again. I mean, we are we we and and we we want to participate to the change to the innovation into this market. So so we are going to uh disclose how we can uh really uh make some propose some game changes to the to the industry in this business. It's related with uh uh head drive electronics, of course. Um and and and maybe also this is this shows that the the the health of the company we are growing fast actually, very fast. This year was a very good year for the company, and we expect a good year as well next year. And uh I think this is uh due to the as you said anyway, Anais, to the maturity of the the innovations that we've been uh chasing and developing for in uh in the last uh years.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think I think that sounds right. I think people will be very excited to see what you have to say in Munich. Uh thank you very much for giving us your time, both of you, Anais. Thank you for coming in on the on the podcast. It's always nice to hear someone different. Um and thank you, Didier, really appreciate it. And uh catch up with you both very soon.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you very much. See you soon.
SPEAKER_03:Bye bye.
