The Offset Printers Association (OPA) organized an International Conference on Smart Packaging and Printed Electronics with the support of the Union ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) at Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University Of Science And Technology (DCRUST) Murthal from 3 to 6 September 2022.
Inaugurating the conference, Governor of Haryana Bandaru Datatraya said the need of the hour was to take steps to make the country self-reliant by establishing high quality in the field of electronics and technology. He said the business of smart packaging and printed electronics was continuously growing rapidly in the country and the world over.
According to an estimate, India’s printed electronics market stood at US$ 0.78 billion in 2021 and was expected to touch US$ 3.11 billion by 2029, he said. “We have to work together with complete honesty, social service, and truth to make India a ‘Vishwa Guru’ again. India has already shown this during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Prof Rajendrakumar Anayath, the vice-chancellor of DCRUST, said the work of printing as a technique of adding ink to paper or on a substrate was already over, and we have to think about the new ideas and latest technologies in printing now.
Welcoming the delegates and dignitaries, Parveen Aggarwal, president of OPA said, now things were fast becoming normal and they were looking forward to meeting the experts and hearing their ideas for solving the problems of the printers. Pointing to the decrease in commercial printing, the best option left, Aggarwal said, is packaging, which is growing and is expected to continue to grow.
P Chander, president of the All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP) said the OPA was working hard to educate the printers about the latest technologies. AIFMP is the apex body of 250,000 printers in India.
Kamal Chopra, chairman of the conference, said the main motto of the conference was to understand the present situation and to know and deliberate on the alternatives available. Chopra said that the concept of printing had undergone a major paradigm shift in the last few years. One of the major reasons behind this is the rapid growth in printing technology. This has created a scenario where printers have evolved much beyond the basic printing function. Nowadays, printing is not only ink on paper, Chopra said.
Chopra said they invited expert speakers from around the globe to discuss and elaborate on the current status and future of printed electronics and smart packaging.
Fourteen eminent speakers from seven countries, including Greece, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka besides 13 Indian resource persons took part. More than 237 registered delegates from 32 different cities in India attended the meet.
Presenting the vote of thanks at the close of the inaugural session, Ashwani Gupta, Co-Chairman of the International Conference, appreciated the gesture of the DCRUST and the team of teachers working round the clock for the success of the event.
During the technical presentation, the expert speakers spoke on different topics of printed electronics and smart packaging, covering business ideas, research, demand and future scope, challenges, and solutions.
In his keynote address, Prof Anayath said printed electronics refer to a process in which printing technology is used to produce various kinds of electronic goods, such as electronic circuits, displays, sensors, and RFID. It is based on organic conducting and semiconducting as well as printable inorganic materials. The area of printed electronics is very wide, which includes a large number of different materials and printing technologies. As it can provide new functionality to packaging, printing electronics is seen as one of the emerging technologies for food packaging.
