Bios
Tomos Syrovy
Ing. Tomáš Syrový, Ph.D. | University of Pardubice | Faculty of Chemical Technology | Department of Graphic Arts and Photophysics
Dr. Syrový is author or co-author of more than 25 IF publications (h-index 7) in peer-reviewed journals and he is also the author or co-author of more than 30 contributions at national and international conferences. There are more than 160 citations of his works. He is the author or co-author of functional samples and utility models for production of sensory element, respectively functional layers and structures (antistatic, antimicrobial, security, health care, etc.). He is experienced in R&D in area of functional printing and coating and he also skilled in transfer of printed/coated functionalities to industrial level, including wideweb. Various functional systems such as printed transistors, electrochromic displays, electroluminescent display panels, sensor elements for measuring relative humidity and various gas detection, photovoltaic cells, printed memory elements, different types of conducting, semiconducting and dielectric layers based conductive/semiconductive, dielectric and nanocomposite materials were prepared as part of his research activities. The various types of functionalities were prepared in many cases by own developed printing/coating formulations and technology condition setup. This is also one of the key roles of his participation in the projects and collaboration, i.e. development of printing/coating ink formulations for functional layers given characteristics made by proper printing/coating techniques (screen printing, gravure printing, flexographic printing, pad printing, ink-jet, aerosol jet printing, spray-coating, spin-coating, spiral bar coating, etc.).
He is a member of the OE-A that associates worldwide scientific and industrial organizations in the field of printed electronics. In 2013 got the award of Rector of UPCE for young scientists under 35 years for beneficial cooperation with the printing industry.
Klaus Peter Crone
Klaus Peter Crone received his PhD in physics and astronomy from University Bonn in 1984. As head of the divisions “process analysis 2” at Bayer AG and “measurement and analysis” at Agfaphoto GmbH he developed customized coating and analysis techniques for the photographic and pharmaceutical industry. Since 2009 as head of R&D at Coatema he focused on various coating and drying techniques especially slot die coating. Retired in 2015 he now works at Coatema for R&D and special tasks.
Tim Mortensen
Tim studied in the physics department at Swansea university and obtained an MPhys degree and a PhD in experimental physics before taking on a post-doctoral role in the GBar experiment in Paris. The GBar experiment aims to better understand the effect of gravity on antimatter and required the creation of a wide range of bespoke high performance hardware and accompanying software interfaces. The combination of his PhD and subsequent research gave Tim a great deal of experience developing these custom devices. This experience has proved key when in 2014 Tim accepted a role at the WCPC working to produce a novel design of printed pressure sensors with a custom computer interface. Since this initial project Tim has worked on a range of printed electronic devices developing wireless energy harvesting systems and low cost smart packaging to more recently working to bring a range of printable carbon based devices to market.
James Claypole
James graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in Civil Engineering. He has recently finished his PhD at Swansea University in advanced rheology of printable materials. He worked as an intern at the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating during his undergraduate study and is now working as a post-doctoral research assistant at Swansea University working on advanced rheology and its impact on the ability to print electronics funded as part of the EPSRC Centre of Innovative of Large Area Electronics based in WCPC.
Davide Deganello
Dr Davide Deganello is associate professor in the college of Engineering, SU. He is based within WCPC and his research is focussed on advanced manufacturing by functional printing and additive processing for energy storage, electronic and biomedical applications; as well as the study of underlining complex fluids rheology. Davide is currently PI for an EPSRC award (£450.000) for advanced large-scale energy storage (EP/N013727/1). Further recent projects include an EPSRC first grant on surface instabilities in roll-to-roll printing (EP/M008827/1, 2016 ), EPSRC CimLAE funded Pathfinder project on laser induced forward transfer (SIMLIFT, 2017). Davide has recently participated as investigator to the HaRFest project (2016), an Innovate UK co-funded collaborative project, in collaboration with PragmatIC, CPI, Cambridge University, CimLAE, aimed to investigate scale production of energy harvesting modules. As investigator, Davide has also been named in more than 10 projects, including NIHR funded project for printed diagnostic devices for human cytomegalovirus in newborn babies. Davide’s research has led to patents and a number of publications in leading international journals.
Ben Clifford
Ben Clifford is a research assistant at the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating in the College of Engineering, Swansea University. He recently submitted his Ph.D thesis titled “Aerosol Jet Deposition for the Development of Printed Electronics” (Swansea University, 2016). His research is primarily focused on applications of aerosol jet deposition but includes direct-write fabrication technologies, materials development and process optimisation.
Gunter Huebner
Since 1999 Prof. Huebner teaches at the University of Applied Science, Stuttgart Media University “Hochschule der Medien” (HdM) in Stuttgart, Germany.
From 2004 till 2014 he was the leader of the HdM study program “Print and Media Technology”. Besides the entire printing technologies and printing processes his specialties in teaching are digital, screen and functional printing.
In 2006 the Institute for Applied Research (Institut für angewandte Forschung – IAF) was founded at the HdM. He took over the leadership of the IAF which is an umbrella organization over meanwhile about 30 research groups within the HdM. His own research group is called “Institute for Innovative Applications of the Printing Technologies” (IAD) and mainly deals with functional and fine line printing. Recent successful developments are printed antennae for automotive applications and screen printing of rechargeable batteries.
Before joining the HdM he worked for about 11 years with the companies AGFA Gevaert AG and DuPont de Nemours as a research and process engineer or system specialist, thus, combining mechanical and process expertise with a well-grounded knowledge in information technologies.
With his PhD-thesis about numerical simulation of ink-splitting processes in printing he 1991 obtained the Dr.-Ing.-title at the Technical University, Darmstadt, the place where he had passed his diploma in mechanical engineering, before.
Johanna Lahti
Dr. Johanna Lahti has a doctoral degree in Paper Converting and Packaging Technology from Tampere University of Technology (2005). She is currently Senior Research Fellow and Project Manager in Paper Converting and Packaging Technology research group at Tampere University of Technology (TUT). She started her career (1999) by studying dispersion coatings and usage of pigment particles to improve barrier properties. In 2000 she started her doctoral thesis research about digital printing of extrusion coated packaging materials. In the research focus was on improving printability of polymeric surfaces by surface treatment. Since 2005 Dr. Lahti has participated in several national and international projects. Research areas include different topics relating to paper technology, paper converting and packaging technology. These include e.g. (co)extrusion coating, dispersion coating, surface treatments (e.g. plasma, corona, flame), nanoscale thin coatings (e.g. plasma deposition, ALD), substrates for packaging materials (plastic films, fiber-based substrates, coated materials, etc.), and printing technology. She has also coordinated one large-scale FP7 project (PlasmaNice, 2008-2012) with topic Atmospheric Plasmas for Nanoscale Industrial Surface Processing. Currently she is mainly working in FP7 project NanoMend (2012-2015). Nanomend aims to pioneer novel technologies for in-line detection, cleaning and repair of micro and nano scale defects for thin films coated on large area substrates. Examples include thin films used in the production of packaging materials, flexible solar panels, lighting and indoor and outdoor digital signage and displays. Since 2000 Dr. Lahti has supervised several thesis works and produced several conference papers, articles and presentations in the field of paper converting and packaging technology.
Tim Claypole
Tim Claypole is a founder and director of the WCPC (Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating, Swansea University). He is a faculty member of the College of Engineering, Swansea University. His areas of research include colour control, manufacturing systems, quality, maintenance, reliability experimental design, fluid mechanics and process thermodynamics. He is a British Expert on ISO TC130 on standards for the graphic arts. As well as graphics and packaging, he has internationally leading research on the use of volume printing processes for advanced manufacture of a diverse range of products including electronics, sensors and point of care health.
Tim led the ERDF funded DIPLE project won the 2009 Regiostars award for “Research, Technology Development and Innovation”, reflecting the successful transfer of the research into industry. He was awarded an MBE for his services to graphic arts and industry in the 2010 Queens New Year’s Honours.
His contribution to the printing industry has been recognised by the industry with the TAGA Michael Bruno award in 2008 and in 2009 an EFTA special award for outstanding contribution to flexographic printing. The EPSRC, Government and Industry have funded his research that has led to over 170 publications on printing and related topics. He recently finished a prestigious EPSRC Portfolio Grant in “Complex Fluids for Complex flows”, these are only awarded to World leading research groups. He is a co-investigator on the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacture of Large Area Electronics. This major UK award for research is held by the WCPC jointly with the other 3 UK Centres of excellence in Printable Electronics – Cambridge University, Imperial College London and Manchester University.
Martti Toivakki
Martti Toivakka is currently a full professor and head of the Laboratory of Paper Coating and Converting at Åbo Akademi University, Finland (www.abo.fi/lpcc). He received his doctoral degree in chemical engineering in the area of paper chemistry in 1998. His research group is a member of the Academy of Finland appointed Center of Excellence for Functional Materials, which develops functional materials and demonstrates devices for printed intelligence. His research interests include novel coating and surface treatment methods for natural fiber-based products, printing as a fabrication method and use of paper as a substrate for printed electronics. He has (co-)authored over 130 peer-reviewed scientific publications in international journals and conferences.
Chris Phillips
Chris has recently been appointed as a lecturer in engineering in Swansea University and is continuing his research with WCPC with a focus on functional ink development, with emphasis on carbon materials, and energy storage applications.
Dr Ian Mabbett
Ian is a senior lecturer in the new chemistry department at Swansea.
Prior to that he was the manager of the Materials and Manufacturing Academy, which incorporates the EPSRC COADTED2 functional coatings centre of doctorate training, of which WCPC is a partner.
Ian has also worked in the SPECIFIC innovation and knowledge centre, with research activities in drying, curing and sintering processes for functional coatings in photovoltaic energy generation and electrochemical energy storage.
Ian has also published papers on rapid sintering of conductive inks for printed electronics with WCPC colleagues.
His background is in the rapid radiative drying and curing of coatings and inks and the study of these processes necessitates expertise in instrumental techniques, particularly spectroscopic techniques, thermal analysis and evolved gas analysis.
Ian holds CChem and CSci status with RSC and CEng status with IOM3, holds FHEA for teaching activities and is a very active STEM ambassador.
Sarah-Jane Potts
Sarah-Jane is currently studying for an EngD in Materials Engineering at the Welsh Centre of Printing and Coating (WCPC) at Swansea University. She has a Master’s Degree (MEng) in Product Design Engineering from Swansea University which she completed in 2015. Since starting her EngD, Sarah-Jane has partaken a number of materials engineering, management and chemistry based modules as well as conducted research for her project on screen printing for icmPrint Consortium. Currently, Sarah-Jane’s work focuses on investigating the mathematical relationship between ink rheology and printing parameter settings for screen printing. This will enable predictive methods to be developed for producing optimal print properties.