The aim of the practice, which has been set up at the St Ives, Cambridgeshire-based firm in the past few weeks, is to help print technology vendors and end-users by enabling them to access the technologies they need to bring new print products or processes to market.
It also intends to provide support to manufacturers looking to benefit from the latest advances in digital print techniques and those that want to work with more challenging substrates, such as ceramics.
Shay Yulzary, who joined 42T from industrial inkjet company Xennia in 2010 to strengthen its in-house print expertise, will lead the practice.
“The business is focused around innovation and fluid management and thermal management in terms of dynamics. I think printing fits very well within our portfolio because there’s a lot of fluid handling and the more advanced the printing is, the more complicated the fluids are,” said Yulzary.
42T has previously helped to develop ink delivery systems for firms in the print industry, including Xaar.
“We are currently talking to many different printing companies in the UK and in Europe, and many of them are among our biggest clients,” said Yulzary.
“Clients and prospects may not be aware of some of our other printing-related work, for example in developing laser marking technology, new print system concepts or helping manufacturers to find the most cost effective way to incorporate digital print technologies into new production lines.”
42T has around 30 staff and a wide network of associates that specialise in ink production, image processing and printer mechanics.
“In our dedicated practice we have myself, another fluid dynamics engineer and an electronics and software team that also specialise in printing applications. We also call on the expertise of our associates quite widely in the printing area because it’s such a specific and highly specialised subject,” said Yulzary.
The business, which was founded in 1998, also works with consumer and business markets including medical and healthcare, industrial, packaging and dispensing, and food and drink.
