TIGRES to tackle surface performance at IMI Europe Inkjet Development Conference 2026

For all the attention paid to inks, printheads and waveforms, surface condition remains central to print performance. As inkjet expands into more demanding applications, that is becoming harder to ignore.

That is the theme TIGRES will bring to the IMI Europe Inkjet Development Conference 2026, where Peter van Steenacker, Head of PlasmaXperience, will present ‘Plasma for optimal printing results on difficult materials’ on Thursday 19 March in Hamburg. The conference runs from 18 to 19 March 2026 at the Hyperion Hotel Hamburg and is aimed at inkjet developers working across materials, engineering and applications.

IMI’s inkjet conference is built for the technical end of digital print: the people working on materials, drop behaviour, application development and the practical mechanics behind performance. This year’s programme reflects that focus, with sessions spanning printheads, ink systems, rheology, contact angle measurement, plasma surface treatment and functional printing.

TIGRES is a good fit for that audience. Founded in 1993, the company develops atmospheric pressure plasma systems used to activate, finely clean and coat surfaces before further processing. Its systems are used across printing, packaging, textiles, electronics, medical and automotive applications, giving it a broad view of how surface treatment supports reliable industrial production.

Peter van Steenacker’s session goes straight to a subject that is increasingly important across industrial inkjet. Printing onto plastics, glass and metal often depends on more than the ink alone. Wettability, adhesion and surface cleanliness all shape the result.

Ahead of the event, Peter van Steenacker said: ‘The substrate has more to say about print quality than many people admit. Plasma treatment helps bring that variable under control, which is why it has become such a useful tool in demanding inkjet applications. But the way plasma treatment is carried out is equally important.”

The session is relevant well beyond a narrow plasma audience. As more developers work on demanding substrates and more specialised applications, process control and surface treatment matter more. They give developers another way to improve consistency, widen substrate options and create better conditions for the print process from the outset.

If you are heading to IMI Europe this month, Peter van Steenacker’s session is worth listening to. Register for the conference, meet the TIGRES team, and hear how plasma treatment can support better printing results on difficult materials.

Ahead of the event, Peter van Steenacker said:

‘The substrate has more to say about print quality than many people admit. Plasma treatment helps bring that variable under control, which is why it has become such a useful tool in demanding inkjet applications. But the way plasma treatment is carried out is equally important.’