Intelligent inks and functional coatings to develop high added-value products

AIMPLAS?has implemented a new department, Functional Printing and Coatings, thus strengthening its range of solutions to give added value to the traditional printed product, as well as to develop new products and materials with advanced properties for its printing. ? The printing technologies traditionally used to reproduce texts and pictures have evolved so that they allow to place other functional materials on different formats, such as plastic, metal, wood, cardboard, glass or textile. AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, has implemented a new department, Functional Printing and Coatings, thus strengthening its range of solutions to give added value to the traditional printed product, as well as to develop new products and materials with advanced properties for its printing.? The new department is developing its tasks on the new functionalities allowing these technologies, from traceability, monitoring or anti-counterfeiting, to the incorporation of barrier, bactericide, mechanical or surface properties, going through the development of intelligent or active labels and packages. On the other hand, it is working to develop inks varnishes, lacquers and coatings in general, with new and improved functionalities and properties. This is possible thanks to the incorporation of polymer matrixes in solution, providing chromo-active, conductive, semiconductor or dielectric functionalities. New devices will be also developed, which indicate time-temperature, coolness, humidity or leakage and innovations on flexible electrical components printing, such as RFID antennas, printed circuits or resistors. ? About AIMPLASAIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre is located in Valencia, Spain and is recorded at the Register of Technological Centres of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The institute is member of FEDIT (Spanish Federation of Innovation and Technology Entities) and REDIT (Network of Technological Institutes of the Valencia Region). AIMPLAS is a non-profit research association with the object to operate as a technological partner for enterprises from the plastics industry and thus offering them integral and customized solutions by coordinating research, development and innovation projects as well as technology services (analysis and testing, technical assistance, formation as well as competitive and strategic intelligence).