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
#311 - Inkjet meets e-mobility: WeldTone and Inkatronic bring precision insulation to EV production
In this FuturePrint Podcast episode, we speak with Rainer Stricker (WeldTone) and Mikael Boedler (Inkatronic) about a fast-emerging application for industrial inkjet: UV insulation coatings for EV battery and electronics components.
Rainer explains Weldtone’s background in functional adhesives and insulation coatings, and why the next generation of EV architectures (including cell-to-pack and cell-to-chassis) is increasing the performance requirements placed on insulation layers - especially as insulation must coexist with high-strength structural bonding processes.
Mikael shares how Inkatronic’s application centre model - combining in-house engineering, CNC capability, automation and PLC programming - enables rapid iteration and upscaling trials. Together, Weldtone and Inkatronic are developing inkjet-based insulation processes that deliver selective deposition, tight thickness control, and fast UV curing.
The discussion compares inkjet with traditional insulation approaches such as PET film wrapping, powder coating, and spray coating. Inkjet’s key advantage is its digital selectivity: coating only where needed, reducing waste and post-processing, and enabling reliable insulation on more complex 3D-shaped parts (connectors, housings, cooling elements), not just flat surfaces or simple geometries.
Both guests also address adoption dynamics: mass production is already underway in China for certain applications, while Europe is in a rapid evaluation phase - with the main bottleneck being access to validated demonstration equipment for sample generation, qualification, and process-window development.
Rainer and Mikael will present and demonstrate the process at FuturePrint Industrial Print, Motorworld Munich, 21-22 January, including live printing and curing on representative 3D customer parts.
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FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany
Well, hi there, and welcome to this very special FuturePrint podcast. In the run-up to our event in Munich at Motorworld, that many of you will have heard of, we have a very exciting podcast where we have two people involved in it. And I am really pleased to have with me Mikhail, who many of you know already from Incatronic, and he has one of his guests, uh, who is Rainer Stricker, isn't it? Rainer, have I got Rainer Stricker? Rainer Stricker from Welltone, and they're working together in partnership, and we're going to talk a little bit about that. Welltone, very interesting. Um, adhesives, in coatings, uh in EV market, in electronics, consumer electronics, manufacturing electronics. So we're gonna find out a little bit more from Rainer. Rainer, just give us a little intro from you about yourself and then a bit about Welltone, and then we'll go to Mikhail.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thank you very much, Fraser, for this uh great opportunity to introduce uh Welton here in the podcast. So uh I'm responsible for the European business development with a focus on uh EV applications. So uh I'm uh since nearly 30 years in the automotive industry for everything that is linked to uh adhesive surface technology and uh related processes about. And uh yeah, today I will present uh Welton and uh what is uh Welton very very special so when it comes to our unique applications for UV insulation codings, so and also our know-how in terms of uh functional adhesives, so and that's where the things match is quite well together because you need in a proper application both know-hows, one is the uh functional adhesives, and the other is uh the know-how for insulation coding.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, brilliant. Thank you for the uh introduction there. Uh Mikhail, would you just introduce I know most people know you already, you're well known in the kind of future print world, but just give us a quick intro if anyone doesn't know you and explain the kind of the connection between you and Wellton.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, um I'm Mikhail Bödler, I am leading new business development at Inkatronic and as well as our application center, our Inkchat application center here in Austria. Um with Wellton, we are we are working together in developing and digitalizing insulation processes um using inkchat technology, and together we have um we are in a phase of upscaling trials from using coaching customer parts with the Weltone insulative chemistry. And um in Katronic, we're responsible not only in developing the process, but as well developing test stations, test units for us to do this um validation process, but as well with the interest of upscaling this in a in a in a later stage and as well delivering um industrial printers for um um mass volume production of coated products.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. Thank you for that. Um so Rainer, coming back to you, Welltone chemistry. Obviously, it kind of differs from traditional uh application, so spray coating or or traditional drip approach to coating. So give us a little bit of uh an explanation on what would what you're doing at Welltone.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so we we are in Welltone, we are developing uh developing uh functional adhesives uh and everything what is related to this adhesive. So of course we are looking also in application technology, but we are do not selling such kind of application technology by ourselves because we we say okay, the customer is free with all the materials they are handling, so they are also free with the with the application technology. But specifically when it comes to uh uh UV insulation coding by ink shedding, I think it's highly, highly important that the partner has a very, very deep know-how in the ink shedding process itself because uh you need both a very very stable chemistry and also a very very reliable and solid uh process application.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And in terms of inkjet insulation in EV battery cell lines, what what are you doing with that? How widespread is that?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's a very, very good question because uh normally traditional way to insulate the battery cells is is done by by PET film, mainly because PET film is cheap, it's available on the market. Uh but there are certain kind of limitations, uh, also in the in the materials, you have an adhesive coating, which is a visco-elastic, so it it never hardens or cross links completely, it stays in this visco-elastic uh tick condition. And uh when it comes to more uh future applications from uh cell to peck or cell to chassis, then of course the the requirement to the insulation is very, very decisive when you use this in terms yeah in combination with structural glue, for example. So this can be done very, very much on the same level when it comes to shear strengths, which is very on a very high uh level compared to uh to the UV insulation coating. So you have very huge differences in the shear strengths, and uh this is then finally required uh in combination with the structured glue.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and I guess there are some key other key benefits, aren't there, from using inkjet rather than pad or or traditional exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_01:So uh when you have a partner who is really able to adapt the system, the process system of inkjeting very, very fine, so the the tolerances we can keep with the overall system is is quite tight. So we are speaking with 110, 120 microns, we are speaking plus minus five micrometer. Uh, of course, you can handle such tolerances with tape, very easy. Uh insulation tape, but it's very hard to handle this uh tight tolerance, for example, with uh powder coating.
SPEAKER_02:Of course, of course, or or with film coating or yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And and finally, the system is quite quick, and uh, due to the preciseness, the end customer knows exactly what is what level of product or amount of material is on the on the battery cell.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, sure. I mean, mikhail, this is this is great for Encatronic, isn't it? Because this is what you do, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, no, so exactly. I I see ourselves um in our application center as uh let's say very flexible with the equipment that we're able to um to set up. So we're having our own um CNC machining in-house, we're having uh design teams, we're having um um um PLC programming teams. So when the customer is coming over part to us, right, we're able to reconfigure our um test systems in less than a week and be able to um produce, let's say, um um production conditions in these test equipments. So um here the flexibility is uh the flexibility is key. And I think that um here we are well um we have the right structure for these for these trials and for developing this technology further.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. And just just because obviously you're in the inkjet world, um, is your sense that this is gonna be a marketplace that's interesting for inkjet generally?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so as far I can say where the technology currently is and what is the potential of it, right? So the I mean when you look in China, yeah, the technology is mature enough for mass production, right? So um, but the potential is still largely untapped. So the systems running today they cover only simple geometries and let's say easier components to insulate, like let's say battery cells. So most industrial applications they are um relying on film wrapping or powder coating because of these of the um complexity of the parts, and this is exactly where inkchit will grow next, right? So not only on flat parts, but on complex 3D components, yeah, connectors, housing, cooling elements, and these are exactly the elements that we need to selectively insulate and have the thermal performance and have thermal performance. So um this transition will take place, right? We have the the chemistries, they already exist, the printers they exist, the know-how is there. So um, and the market is only beginning to adopt it. Of course, Asia first, and this let's say um this is currently the phase where we are in Europe, I would say. So the interest is very high among tier one, tier two automotive suppliers. But um, yeah, this adoption curve is just starting. So most companies, together with us or um as well with other partners, they're still in this evaluation phase of them of inkchit for installation. So they're testing materials, they're understanding how it fits in their workflow. And um, but this, in my opinion, will really pick pick up. And I think that right now the main bottleneck here in Europe is this access to um validated demonstration equipment, right? You need companies, need a platform where they can test materials, where they can develop their process windows and generate these um samples for qualification and validation, yeah. Before they are committing to a product, uh let's say committing to um production in a production machine. So yeah, that is the that is the phase where we're in. And I really think that um with the interest that we have seen this will grow with um um very quickly here in Europe.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Um Rainer, I saw you nodding there. Um, would you you agreeing with with Mikal on that?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, exactly. So uh these are very, very good points from from uh Mika. So uh and we see we see it really currently in the customer interest and uh requests, so uh and the limitation is really uh the equipment that the kinds uh and also to have uh a very deep insight to the chemistry and also uh how to adapt and build up the systems. Uh and and therefore, as I just mentioned before, it's very, very important to have uh a partner who is looking into the know-how and and what is possible with the chemistry. Yeah, and I guess during the last during the last uh months we found out uh very nice adaptations on uh 3D shaped parts, uh 3D shaped surfaces, uh so which was or which must be done before with a lot of effort to solve it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you you're you're kind of discovering how this can work, yeah. Um I'm just interested, obviously, Mikhail has pointed to the fact that you know there's kind of Europe is catching up on China on this one, I think.
SPEAKER_00:Um does that mean maybe catching up the uh catching up is not the right word. We that we need we need we need to catch up, right? We need to catch up. I wouldn't say that this is currently where we are, but um um let's say the trend is that investments are being made, that um really companies are looking and innovating their current processes.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, um what I was gonna ask is Rayner, obviously, as as Mikhail points out, we kind of need to catch up. Um, are you developing different chemistries and and working closely with the European OEMs?
SPEAKER_01:Yep, yes, exactly. So uh a lot of materials are already developed. Uh uh, some of the materials are already in serious production in China. Uh, but of course, uh I think each technology, when you reached a certain kind of status and and it's sell to the to the market, uh, of course, you need to continue the development to have always new material on the hand with uh yeah, to fulfill the customer's requirements overall.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, of course. Um, just to give give me an idea of of where the current state of kind of insulating coating is. Reina, what where where are things at the moment? So it's done today.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so currently uh it's used in in uh prismatic battery cells uh in China in in serious production, but as I said, it's uh mainly for for the applications where you have the the cell to peg or the cell to chassis situation, so where you uh have very high requirement on the structural adhesive levels, and uh here in in Europe we are changing a little bit uh the situation because also in China they are looking for the very very thick application, so the thick insulation coding, which is generally not needed, and and here we are more on the level that we are more on a precise application, uh less uh surface uh coding thicknesses. Uh but uh here it comes really the application technology into the game, which must be adapted very, very precisely.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. To to add to this to um to um what Reina is mentioning, so when you're looking at the processes running here, right, it really they rely on the films, the powder, the spray coating. These are like let's say fine for flat or um accessible geometries, but they also become um inefficient for the for let's say these 3D shape parts. So like the films, they're adding weight, they require trimming, they um spray coating, they it's um creating waste. So um, because the spray process is really covering everything, including as well the areas that actually do not need to be coated. Yeah, exactly. It's a lot of waste. You're needing post processing, so and inkjet solves all of this by being digital and selective. So it's really an elegant solution to currently what is the the let's say the state of art. So you print insulation exactly where you need it with the thickness controlled down to um a couple of microns and with almost no overspray. So the material saving alone are substantial, it already speaks for integrating the technology, but um, I think that the real value is encoding of complex geometries. That that's the traditional process, simply they cannot handle without massive waste or inconsistency from the thicknesses, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:But you Ray, you agree, and and please don't forget overall processing time. So we we are reaching very, very uh fast processing times with the the UV uh crosslinking process, uh, which is really unbelievable.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's interesting what you're saying because in in essence, what you're saying is the EV technology in Asia, in China particularly, is ahead in terms of kind of needs and requirements. But the technology that we're talking about solving the problem is inkjet, and the inkjet development in Europe is really further forward, surely. I mean, I don't know, I wouldn't necessarily think to China to develop inkjet for uh industrial applications, for director shape, different shapes, as you mentioned. It's really Europe that's that's doing this, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:Exactly, because I think I mean, um, the philosophies are of course different. Yeah. Um, when we're looking at these complex parts, we're talking about, let's say, maybe every customer requirement is a complete, let's say, um, customized machine. When you're looking at the uh, let's say the mass volume of uh battery cells, this is this is uh let's say a market that is fitting much better to um um to the to the Chinese market. But here in Europe, like we like we said, um, I think where we can profit or where we can um have an advantage is exactly in these um in these um niche applications where you're needing to go into the detail, where you're needing to develop the processes from scratch, right? And this is, I would say what here in Europe, we're going much more into detail, right? Into the optimization, understanding from the from the print process, from the substrate preparation, from the curing. Um, and I think that this package um can give us an advantage in the future and in a selective range of applications.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think you're right. Um, Rayner, I'm interested, obviously, what Mikhail just said is you know, Incatronica, you know, innovating in this. How did World Tone and Incatronic come to be working together? And and and how does that work in terms of your relationship going forward with your customers? It gives you a strength, doesn't it, in a way?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but yeah, thank you for for this question. So finally, the the collaboration was was triggered by an uh inkhead manufacturer, and uh since uh we collaborated together, it we made a very very huge process uh in the development from very simple surfaces, flat ones, uh up to to up to 3D-shaped uh geometries where where you think in a first few this will never work. But but the topic is really you you have to try it, yeah, yeah, and then you find it out.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, this is yeah, this is the this is our mentality here, right? I mean, we are like I've always mentioned, we're liking challenges, and uh when's when um when we're looking at a part and we are not sure if it's gonna work, right? It's it's about really really putting it into practice. And um, like I mentioned, we have achieved as far as the thickness control with um standoff distances of more than 50 millimeters, achieving, let's say um 40, 60, 80 micrometers, 160 micrometers. So selectively and with precisions there of um plus minus two, three microns, really depending on the part, and that control is unique to Inkent. So it really makes um ideal for um for these um applications.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Yep. I think you're right there, chaps. It's it's certainly very exciting what you're talking about. Now you will be both talking at the future of print event on the conference program, and of Obviously, you'll have the machine there showing as well, Mikhail. Just give us a flavor of what you'll be talking about in your conference session.
SPEAKER_00:No, this is um we for sure want to as well show this technology live in action. Um this is what we're going to be demonstrating and as well being talking a bit about the markets that we're focusing in here in Europe and where Inkchit um will be adopted uh throughout the years. So um um the our goal is really to show how efficient Inkchit is, right? It really is that you're um you're printing curing and immediately you'll be able to do a um um a scratch test onto the part, right? And this you're only getting an impression of uh of um um the efficiency when you really see it live. Yeah, um so this is what we will try to give uh or try to show the people visiting the show and uh in general quite um trying to grow the um information out there as far as what is capable within chat.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely great. Uh Rainer, did you want to add anything there?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so we we prepared some special parts for the customers, 3D shape parts, uh, and then yeah, let the system run and uh yeah, demonstrate.
SPEAKER_02:Let's demonstrate, yeah, exactly that. Gentlemen, listen, been great talking to you. Really looking forward to this session. I think it's gonna be it's part of uh the innovation that we'll be able to see at our event. And um, we're really looking forward to seeing you both there and hoping that uh based in in Munich, that there's obviously a lot of the automotive market locally to Munich. Hopefully, we'll see people coming along. Gentlemen, thank you very much for your time. Uh, really good to see you and looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks when we get to Munich on January the 21st and 22nd. Thank you for your time.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you very much. Looking forward. See you bye. Bye bye.
