720337LumeBar - a microLED exposure bar for printing and patterning applicationsClosedGRD Development of PrototypeInnovate UKLumeJet is a developer of photonic technology for high resolution digital printing and patterning of photo-activated coatings. The patented LumeJet Digital Print Head (DPH) currently uses c. 600 LEDs and proprietary fibre optics. Similar in concept to inkjet, with moving head and moving media, LumeJet technology has the advantage of being ‘inkless’, offering faster speeds, higher quality, lower print costs and scalability for large area applications. It has become evident from customer engagements that for inline, high-speed printing of moving substrates a static print head would have significant advantages in a number of applications. This is similar to page-wide inkjet print heads - but offering the prospect of clean, ‘inkless’ operation, with no nozzles to block requiring mass redundancy of injectors. However, this will require the development of print heads with many 1000’s of discrete micro-LED emitters, at the required pixel size, wavelength and power, together with focusing optics (micro LENS), electronics, thermal management (TM) and accurate alignment into a continuous bar. We are calling these novel print bars generically – LumeBars. Developing LumeBars presents a significant technical challenge at the leading edge of photonic engineering, but with commensurately large market opportunities. These include high speed commercial printing, inkless printing of labels and packaging, and patterning of flexible displays, organic photo cells and other PE applications - all ££Bn markets in doubledigit growth. If successful, it is intended to commercialise the LumeBar concept initially with visible wavelengths (400-700nm), to produce LumeBars for commercial printing applications where LumeJet is already active, and then IR and UV wavelengths for inkless printing and printed electronics where market demand has already been identified. We believe that LumeBars will be an important UK development, as a platform technology with significant global potential.