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
#278 From Lab to Fab – How Inkjet Earns Its Place on the Factory Floor
In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, Elena Knight speaks with Mikael Boedler, Head of New Business Development at Inkatronic, about one of the most critical transitions in industrial inkjet – moving from lab-scale innovation to full factory production.
Drawing on years of experience supporting OEMs, research institutes, and manufacturers, Mikael shares real-world insights into what it takes to turn a promising lab prototype into a stable, repeatable, and profitable industrial process. From process stability and ink system design to substrate preparation, curing, and collaboration across the supply chain, he outlines the key ingredients for successful upscaling.
The discussion also features a fascinating case study in which Inkatronic helped a manufacturer replace screen printing with a digital inkjet process – achieving flexibility, precision, and mass customisation at scale.
As Mikael explains, true success lies in designing with the end in mind, validating every step under realistic conditions, and fostering tight collaboration between chemistry, hardware, and production partners.
🎧 Listen now to learn how inkjet is unlocking new manufacturing possibilities — and why the factory floor is its ultimate proving ground.
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FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany
So good morning. My name is Eleanor Knight from Future Print. Today I'm speaking with Mikhail Birdler from Incatronic. We're going to look at how Inkjet moves from lab to factory. Michael, thanks for joining us today at this podcast. And before we start, could you introduce yourself, your role, and what you focus on day to day?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, um, good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining on today's podcast. So um my name is Michel Büdler, and I lead new business development at Icatronic. And I've been working in inkjet industry for over seven years now. And um, yeah, over the years I've had the opportunity to really see this technology evolve from traditional printing into um yeah, a true enabler for advanced manufacturing. So I'm happy here to share my our experience on um upscaling from lab to fab.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. It's a pleasure to have you here today. So um, just for the listeners who are new to Incatronic, what does Incatronic do? Could you sort of shed a bit more light on that, please? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:At Incatronic, we focus on developing and integrating advanced Inkjet solutions for industrial and um functional applications, but as well on helping customers adopt the Inkjet technology successfully. So from the early RD all the way to the full scale production. So I mean, we'll be supporting customers with um with um products um such as ink supply systems, RD test stations, or with services, and as well with development of full um and complete production printers.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, fantastic. Thank you. So, how do people get in touch with you? Do they just pick up the phone and say, Incatonic, I need help? Or what's the sort of process there usually?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I would say, I would say that's usually how it goes. So companies that are, let's say, looking for solutions or wanting to transition from um from um an analog print process to digital print process, right? They're bringing their products to us, they're bringing uh their chemistries to us, and they're needing looking for the support and looking for a partner that is able to scale this up, that is able to give them um a roadmap of how do we get this into um industrial production reliably. So this is, I would say, really um how most of the customers are reaching with us, really looking for solutions.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, fantastic. I think you've just touched on it. My next question was going to be sort of who are these people? So I think you said some are new, completely new to Inkjet, and and some are just trying to sort of change or or integrate something new into their existing lines. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_02:Correct. So it can be it can be um um companies coming from the chemistry side that have developed an innovative chemistry and are looking um to apply this with Inkjet, and of course, lacking don't know-how to build this up internally. It can be as well um other integrated companies, OEMs, um, that are looking to, like I've mentioned, um digitalize their um production, right? Going from analog printing technologies like screen printing, um going as well from spray coding and looking at inkjet as a new possibility for um adding value to their products. Okay, as well, and as well, uh research institutes. So research institutes that have maybe developed a process and are looking now to scale this up.
SPEAKER_00:So okay, so that this is what we're really talking about today. We're talking about from lab to fab. Um, so what does that actually mean in in inkjet manufacturing terms? Um, so yes, can you just sort of yeah, that is a great question.
SPEAKER_02:And um, when we talk about lab to fab, we're really describing this that critical transition from innovation to industrialization, right? From a promising lab prototype to a stable, repeatable, and profitable production process that can really run every day on the factory floor. And um, in the lab, conditions are perfect. You're working in a clean, controlled environment, often one sample at a time. But um, the moment you step into a real industrial environment, the picture changes completely. You're suddenly, suddenly you're dealing with variations in temperature, humidity, um, um, substrate quality, and what worked perfectly in the in the lab environment needs to now um work continuously for weeks under much tougher conditions. And um that's really what lab to fab is, right? Bridging that gap, taking something that is scientifically proven and turning it into something that's technically reliable um and scalable. And that's what we focus our energies on here at Encatronic. We help the companies take their concepts, their materials, and the early stage processes and transforming this into um industrial um production solutions.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, um, so just going back a tiny little bit, so would they say, okay, we've got this application and then you test it in your lab and then you take it to the next level, or do they already have a working concept and you then help them just take that up? So do you so as in, do you start from scratch or do you sort of join, you know, at a level where it's working, but it needs to work in in a lab, um, in a sort of a more manufacturing style environment?
SPEAKER_02:Yes, I mean this is this is really um dependent from project to project. There really are projects where it's really from scratch, where no printed has been selected, where um um they're they're having, let's say, um their product, they have developed a chemistry and they're really needing support from scratch, or it can be as well machines or um printers that are already in the field, maybe not performing to its um full capabilities, and Enkatronica is coming in to support these projects, to find the areas where it can improve, maybe by bringing in components, bringing in the know-how that is needed to bring maybe a machine that is performing at 70% to 95 um 100%. So it um we don't just optimize the process, we can also design the entire ecosystem around it, right? From ink supply systems um to pre-treatment, curing, process monitoring and automation. So, really our goal is making that transition as smooth as possible so that when the processes leave the lab, they're already prepared for the factory floor.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, and and sort of from your experience with all the different um projects you've worked on, what what are the biggest hurdles when moving from a successful lab test to sort of the reliable production where it has to everything has to work? Um, because there's so many different moving things that have to have to fit, have to work. Um, what are the biggest hurdles have in your in your opinion?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, um there are several and they usually appear sooner than people expect. Um, I would say that the first challenge is of course process stability. Something that jets beautifully in in a one-hour lab test might behave completely different uh when you're running continuously for days or weeks, right? Fluids heat up, viscosity shift, environmental factors start to show their influence. So um what seems stable in small batches suddenly becomes unpredictable at scale. Um and I would say that um another point is pressure and flow control. This is usually ink systems are so um um I would say not always taken into consideration as the main part of the problem, but we see that um machines or production printers that are not performing um to its full capabilities, 80 to 85 percent of the time is related to um instabilities from the ink system side. So that is a big one. So when printeds begin jetting at a full power, right, you have sudden changes in pressure across the ink system. So if your pressure regulation, temperature control, degassing, if this isn't perfectly balanced, you see it immediately, inconsistent drop formation, color density fluctuations, or air bubbles causing constantly changing missing nozzles. So those are kinds of issues that can stop a production line in seconds. And um I would say that the third uh hurdle is um hardware durability. So a lot of the research setups, they usually um have lab grade components that simply aren't designed for 24-7 operation, right? That's that's why we always advocate using industrial uh recirculating printeds, stabling supply systems, and really production grade motion and queuing technologies, even at the RD stage. It is much easier to scale a process that was built on the industrial front foundations from the start.
SPEAKER_00:And yeah, rather than changing it later and and encountering all those issues. And I guess you've you know you've got so much experience, you can you can sort of tell what the issues are by you know, well very quickly, I guess.
SPEAKER_02:Correct. As um as a machine builders ourselves, right? Since we are in always in control of the full process, we are able to as well very quickly see on a machine where are the issues coming from, whether this is waveform related, whether this is from inks from the ink side, from the ink system, right, whether this is from um electronics, this this is um as well where we where we specialize, um whether this is in the form of consultancy or or or as um as a service, really to um um um make a diagnostic of um printers as well in the field and giving customers um roadmap of what is needed to change to improve these systems.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, that's that's fantastic. And and you've sort of touched on it already, your experience and and and all of that. But what do you think makes Encatronic different as a development partner? So um how is it how you approach those hurdles or yeah, what is it?
SPEAKER_02:No, I would say that our philosophy at Incatronic is very simple. So we design and with the and we develop with the end in mind. So it's really important for us that during the lab phase, we already choose the printed technology that will be implemented in the final production machine. So it's a complete no-go for us to optimize sample quality on a process that cannot later be transferred 100% to production. So that includes everything from um pre-treatment types of printed queuing technologies, print speeds, ink supply parameters, and sometimes even electronics. So we really make sure every variable in the RD setup can be scaled. So our customer, what our customers appreciate is that we cover the entire process chain under one roof, right? It's not only hardware, but um, we're um we're as well able to do the chemistry analysis and characterization in-house to as well support um reformulation or optimization from the formulation side. We do pre-treatment and curing optimization, um, waveform and process development, um, software electronics, and of course the machine design, right? Fabricate at the fabrication of these machines and the commissioning at the customer side. So, really, like a um uh um one-stop uh shop, we yeah, yeah, we work important most importantly, I would say, is that we work very closely with the printed manufacturers. So, really to test and qualify their technologies under real application conditions. So when the customer is ready to scale, we already know what works and what doesn't work, and that makes a difference. So we so we go beyond just machine building, our focus is really on innovation and delivering fully developed processes that perform reliably in industrial environments.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, and sort of this might be a silly question, but um, is there like a test that you have that tells you the process is ready for pilot line? So you've you've obviously spent some time building this prototype, and then you say, okay, now it's ready to go into the pilot line. Is there like a test you do or does it have to perform in a certain way? I know everything has to obviously work, but is there something more that you do?
SPEAKER_02:No, I mean, of course, we're able to validate. So once we do prepare the samples um um with the RD or with the prototype machine, of course, we're able to do the validations uh internally, but this is as well as up for the customer to not only um visually um um visually um or observe the final product and see if this is if this is um um if this is their sort of correct design brief here. Then the adhesion tests themselves to so um if they are wanting, depending on how the requirements are. So this is really dependent if um if this is something that the customer would like to run through us, or if at the end they are the ones that are defining, okay, this we are able, um, we're wanting to invest in such a machine. This is adding exactly the value um to the product that we have, and it's as well reaching the requirements that we have.
SPEAKER_00:So and sort of um from a perspective of once it's been handed over, you obviously still there's like a service, is there's a service that you offer that you sort of help with any other things that if they wanted to upscale or do anything else, I guess that's all in that's all something you can do.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, correct. So um we're we are extremely flexible and as well, we are um open and sharing our know-how. So really um it can we we're working in a wide range of project um projects where we are supporting in different scales, whether it's only consultancy, whether it's fully developing the process, whether we're doing it really from scratch to the um final um machine uh or final production printer, or just doing the process development for the customer to then um manufacture the machines themselves. So there we are extremely flexible and um open with sharing our know-how to bring as well this um the core inkjet expertise to bring this up um with the companies that we're working because this is as well uh is what's important for us is that um the customers that we have are also growing with us with um internally know-how.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. And can you share an example of how you helped a customer? I mean, you don't need to name any names, but sort of um a case study type thing where we can sort of share with our listeners um you know, sure.
SPEAKER_02:Um yeah, absolutely. So um one of my favorite examples involves um customer producing coated metal scales for measurements instruments, and these uh were decorated using screen printing, right? So here we have a perfect example of a company um using an analog printing technology and wanting to um add more value to their product. So they were facing a familiar challenge as so as the number of different designs and layouts were increasing, screen printing became slow, too expensive, and of course too too inflexible to operate with growing demand for individualization. And they wanted a fully automated ink solution that could produce a growing variety of layouts just in time without the need of changing screens or long um setup times. So they came to us, right? Like we mentioned in the beginning, they came to us with a range of their screen printed parts as benchmarks, and then we started by analyzing the coated mantle surfaces. So the first discovery was that the substrate had very low surface energy, which made adhesion very difficult. So we were optimizing a plasma treatment process to clean the surface and achieve the right surface energy for good ink wetting and adhesion. Then we evaluated several uh several ink sets, so comparing their adhesion to the substrate. Next and only next, we were selecting the printed based on the uh based on the required production speed, resolution, jetting, distance, and environmental conditions. So we're not in any way tied to one printed technology. We have in our application center of more than 30 printed and are really trying to choose the right technology for the application. And with the best performing ink, we analyzed the jettability, we optimized the waveforms and ran extensive um process tests. So um what was also part of this project was um testing both single pass and multi-pass configurations, right? But in the end, we chose a multi-pass approach to achieve the required matte surface finish that the customer required, and then we optimized and validated the queuing process. So both the technology and the parameters to match the multi-pass print characteristics, and all these steps were done in our RD testations, right? Okay. This is not uh a machine that we had to develop. This is with our standard RD testations that we offer as well as a product to the market, and with it simulating the complete production process. So we produced real samples, which were then sent for visual inspection, adhesion, and long-term stability tests. And like you mentioned, I mean, these can be um UV and weathering chambers. And once the process was fully defined and the customer was happy with the samples, we transferred every single parameter to the production layout. Um, um, so the machine was then designed, manufactured, programmed, and delivered within five months.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, wow, that's been quick.
SPEAKER_02:And the results have been fantastic. So, really, after two years in operation, the customer now runs more than 50,000 different layouts.
SPEAKER_00:Wow.
SPEAKER_02:Fully leveraging the digital flexibility of inkjet printing and the level of variation, and um it would have been absolutely impossible with screen printing. So I always say that is really one of um a great example um of really from scratch to the um to the final production printer.
SPEAKER_00:That sounds great. I mean, it sounds like it all ran like clockwork, but if we were to sort of um dig a tiny little bit deeper, were there any sort of pain points or any key lessons from this project that you could take away and share with our listeners to say, okay, you know, next time around or it or in the subsequent projects, we we you know paid a little more attention to this, this, or this?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, um, I think there were several really good takeaways from the project. I mean, we're constantly learning, but um, firstly, surface preparation is critical. So the best printed and the best ink cannot compensate for substrate preparation.
SPEAKER_00:So that's why if it doesn't stick, it doesn't stick.
SPEAKER_02:So yeah, yeah, exactly. That's where the print the printed and the ink can jet perfectly on the drop watcher. But if like you mentioned, if it doesn't stick, it doesn't stick. Yeah, that's why pre-treatment development became such an important part of the process. Um, I would say that secondly, yeah, um, define every parameter in RD exactly as will be in the production. So we didn't just print good-looking samples, but we built the real process in the in the lab, and that's what made the production transfer um so fast and so smooth. But I think as well, what um um a third takeaway is the value of a tight collaboration. So that project worked because we had an open line between everyone involved, right? And open communication. This means the customers' engineering team, the ink supplier, the printed manufacturer, and us integrator, right? Everyone had a clear view of the go and contributed from their own expertise. We see in inkjet it's always a lot about um collaboration, and this is needed. This is what made the development incredibly efficient, right? Really knowing who are the partners that you want to grow with, and it really proved that when the entire ecosystem works together, chemistry, hardware, and process, you can move from concept to a working industrial system in just a few months. So it really is a project that is a great real-world example of how lab-to-fab approach um works when you build the process right from the start. So it's proof that yeah, inkjet doesn't just replace existing methods, but it really unlocks new manufacturing possibilities that were not feasible before.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. And I think Kim, you've hit the nail on the head there, you know, back in now being in Inkjet for for you know over 12 years, and I think back in the beginning it was always, you know, oh, I'll choose my ink and then I'll choose a printhead, and then I'll, you know, do loads of tests and hope that it works. And you know, there's another hurdle, there's another hurdle. But I think now with the collaboration and with the transparency and you know, the the expertise that's now in the in the market, it's it's actually a lot quicker to get from lab to fab um with a product that actually really works. Um exactly.
SPEAKER_02:The the hurdles, the hurdles that everyone sees in InkChat is not anything new. Every project is so it's it's it's constantly repeating, but of course the expertise and the know-how, right? Working with the right partner companies is really um is is able to um make this uh them make the process much more efficient.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and quicker as well. You know, I think that's what it is. It's about getting that machine in you know working and and creating a profit in a in a shorter space of time. Um and and sort of if we were to just sort of in a nutshell, just wrapping this this up, just say, okay, if you had advice to an RD department um who want to scale but are not sure where to start, what would be the first three steps you would suggest to them? What should they do?
SPEAKER_02:So my biggest advice would be start with the end in mind, right? Even if you're still in the early research phase, think about what your production process should look like. So choose the equipment, the inks, and most importantly, the partners that can grow with you. And um, so at Incatronic, we support that journey not only by offering our customizer and D printers, but um both for um small-scale feasibility work, but as well for production or producing larger pilot samples that um simulate the full production. But um, yeah, like I mentioned, we provide as well the laboratory service where we help customers with fluid characterization away from development. But um, and that combination of lab service, development expertise, and machine building capability really gives company the clear pathway from lab to fab. And um if I yeah, if I could add one last thing is absolutely don't wait until everything is perfect before thinking about scaling. So get industrial input early, it will save time, it will save cost and and a lot of frustration later on.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I guess you can sort of you sort of learn learn as you're going along in a way by seeing how it how it performs on the job, I guess.
SPEAKER_02:Correct, yes, uh 100%.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, wonderful. Well, that was a really, really interesting chat we've had. And just leading on from that, we've obviously we've got our industrial inkjet show in Munich um in January next year. Um, you're going to come along to that. What what are you are you going to bring a machine?
SPEAKER_02:Um yes, so um at the future print event we'll be showcasing a complete process where we digitally apply an insulative coding with inkjet onto um complex 3D automotive parts, so live as well. So using one of our RD test stations. So the same platform we use to develop the process from concept to solution in previous projects in the past, and as well for this new application that we've been working on the past few months, um, so um, which will be scaling up next year and industrializing together, and which will be industrializing it together with our partners. And um, I believe that this system is really in a way, it perfectly represents everything we've talked about today, right? The real world challenges of going from lab to fab and how we turn them into, like I mentioned, practical, scalable solutions. And in this case, for the growing demand of um tier one and tier two automotive suppliers that are looking at as a new advanced manufacturing technology.
SPEAKER_00:Excellent. Well, we're really looking forward to that. It sounds really exciting. Um, so is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap this up or have we covered everything?
SPEAKER_02:I think I think this gives a good introduction, right, to the topic. Um, I'll be happy if some of the listeners as well joining the event for us to um for us to follow with some constructive and talks when really sharing our experience, sharing some of the challenges we faced, right? So um I'll be would be great if um people in January are able to come to our stand and and say, yes, I'm I'm coming from the from the podcast that I listened, these are the challenges that we're facing. How can how can we help you? So yes, fantastic.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. And we will we will share details in in the in the pod notes so that people know where to to go to sign up for the event um and where they can sort of get in touch with you as well if they'd like to talk to you beforehand as well. So, Michael, thank you so much for taking the time for speaking to with us today. It's been an absolute pleasure to have you on board. Um, and I thank all our listeners for listening as well. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you very much.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks. Bye bye.
