Inks, coatings and adhesives

Advanced formulation expertise for sustainable, high-performance materials.

Enhancing functionality and sustainability

Functional inks, coatings, and adhesives play critical roles across many industries, delivering essential properties and performance enhancements. CPI helps companies develop innovative formulations tailored for sectors including packaging, food, paints, electronics, and healthcare.

Our expertise spans advanced materials optimisation, sustainable reformulation, ink and adhesive formulation, and precision coating and deposition processes. By combining cutting-edge analytical capabilities and digital innovation, we help ensure your products achieve outstanding functionality, sustainability, and commercial success.

Ink being applied to a shiny piece of metal by a machine.

Inks, coatings and adhesives

Advanced formulation expertise for sustainable, high-performance materials.

Enhancing functionality and sustainability

Functional inks, coatings, and adhesives play critical roles across many industries, delivering essential properties and performance enhancements. CPI helps companies develop innovative formulations tailored for sectors including packaging, food, paints, electronics, and healthcare.

Our expertise spans advanced materials optimisation, sustainable reformulation, ink and adhesive formulation, and precision coating and deposition processes. By combining cutting-edge analytical capabilities and digital innovation, we help ensure your products achieve outstanding functionality, sustainability, and commercial success.

Inks, coatings and adhesives

Advanced formulation expertise for sustainable, high-performance materials.

Enhancing functionality and sustainability

Functional inks, coatings, and adhesives play critical roles across many industries, delivering essential properties and performance enhancements. CPI helps companies develop innovative formulations tailored for sectors including packaging, food, paints, electronics, and healthcare.

Our expertise spans advanced materials optimisation, sustainable reformulation, ink and adhesive formulation, and precision coating and deposition processes. By combining cutting-edge analytical capabilities and digital innovation, we help ensure your products achieve outstanding functionality, sustainability, and commercial success.

Ink being applied to a shiny piece of metal by a machine.
  • Rolls Royce
  • Drochaid Research Services
  • University of Nottingham
  • University of Sheffield
  • Photocentric
  • LiNa Energy

What we offer

We provide tailored formulation development, precision application techniques, and innovative reformulation to address industry-specific challenges, boost performance, and meet demanding sustainability requirements.

What we offer

We provide tailored formulation development, precision application techniques, and innovative reformulation to address industry-specific challenges, boost performance, and meet demanding sustainability requirements.

What we offer

We provide tailored formulation development, precision application techniques, and innovative reformulation to address industry-specific challenges, boost performance, and meet demanding sustainability requirements.

Materials optimisation of functional inks, coatings, and adhesives

We deliver tailored solutions for formulating functional inks, coatings and adhesives across a range of industries. Our integrated capabilities ensure that formulations meet required functional properties and can be scaled effectively from lab to production.

Our services include:

  • Formulation of adhesives, functional inks, and powder or liquid coatings.

  • Coating deposition from nanometre to millimetre scale.

  • Full processing capabilities from lab to pre-pilot and continuous manufacturing.

  • Automated formulation screening with machine learning optimisation.

  • Reformulation to replace hazardous or limited-availability ingredients.

Real-time monitoring and digital process optimisation.

Materials optimisation of functional inks, coatings, and adhesives

We deliver tailored solutions for formulating functional inks, coatings and adhesives across a range of industries. Our integrated capabilities ensure that formulations meet required functional properties and can be scaled effectively from lab to production.

Our services include:

  • Formulation of adhesives, functional inks, and powder or liquid coatings.

  • Coating deposition from nanometre to millimetre scale.

  • Full processing capabilities from lab to pre-pilot and continuous manufacturing.

  • Automated formulation screening with machine learning optimisation.

  • Reformulation to replace hazardous or limited-availability ingredients.

Real-time monitoring and digital process optimisation.

Ink formulation

We develop high-performance ink formulations for industrial printing and coating, applying deep expertise in colloid and polymer science to meet application-specific requirements.

We offer:

  • Formulations for screen, inkjet, microjet, and other printing methods.

  • Optimisation for electrical/thermal conductivity, impedance, colour, adhesion and biocompatibility.

  • Rapid prototyping and fail-fast development approaches.

  • Comprehensive analytical support.

Ink formulation

We develop high-performance ink formulations for industrial printing and coating, applying deep expertise in colloid and polymer science to meet application-specific requirements.

We offer:

  • Formulations for screen, inkjet, microjet, and other printing methods.

  • Optimisation for electrical/thermal conductivity, impedance, colour, adhesion and biocompatibility.

  • Rapid prototyping and fail-fast development approaches.

  • Comprehensive analytical support.

Adhesive formulation

We can create custom adhesive formulations or adapt existing systems to meet targeted performance demands, particularly for challenging applications and environments. 

Our capabilities include:

  • Adhesives for hard-to-bond surfaces and harsh environments.

  • On-demand bonding and debonding functionalities.

  • Electrically and thermally conductive adhesives.

  • Industrial deposition techniques (batch and roll-to-roll).

  • Digital curing process tracking and bond joint modelling.

Failure analysis and process improvement.

Adhesive formulation

We can create custom adhesive formulations or adapt existing systems to meet targeted performance demands, particularly for challenging applications and environments. 

Our capabilities include:

  • Adhesives for hard-to-bond surfaces and harsh environments.

  • On-demand bonding and debonding functionalities.

  • Electrically and thermally conductive adhesives.

  • Industrial deposition techniques (batch and roll-to-roll).

  • Digital curing process tracking and bond joint modelling.

Failure analysis and process improvement.

Coating and deposition

We offer advanced coating and deposition processes for both bespoke and commercial materials, using a wide range of techniques to ensure performance and scalability.

Our capabilities cover:

  • Slot die, spin coating, screen printing, inkjet, microjet, time-pressure dispense and deposition.

  • Industry-relevant curing methods (thermal, UV, photonic).

  • Post-processing including sintering and laser patterning.

  • Curing performance analysis and optimisation.

Coating and deposition

We offer advanced coating and deposition processes for both bespoke and commercial materials, using a wide range of techniques to ensure performance and scalability.

Our capabilities cover:

  • Slot die, spin coating, screen printing, inkjet, microjet, time-pressure dispense and deposition.

  • Industry-relevant curing methods (thermal, UV, photonic).

  • Post-processing including sintering and laser patterning.

  • Curing performance analysis and optimisation.

Reformulating for sustainability

We support you in developing safer, more sustainable products by replacing environmentally harmful materials. Our expertise spans material science, biotechnology, and life cycle assessment to identify and implement viable alternatives. 

Our capabilities include:

  • Substitution of hazardous materials (e.g. lead, chromates, petroleum derivatives, microplastics).

  • High-throughput screening and viability assessments of alternative ingredients.

  • Biotechnology-led solutions, from host strain development to scalable bio-based binders and pigments.

Reformulating for sustainability

We support you in developing safer, more sustainable products by replacing environmentally harmful materials. Our expertise spans material science, biotechnology, and life cycle assessment to identify and implement viable alternatives. 

Our capabilities include:

  • Substitution of hazardous materials (e.g. lead, chromates, petroleum derivatives, microplastics).

  • High-throughput screening and viability assessments of alternative ingredients.

  • Biotechnology-led solutions, from host strain development to scalable bio-based binders and pigments.

How we support you

We provide comprehensive support to help you navigate the journey from innovative concept to commercial success. Our structured approach accelerates development, reduces risk, and ensures your formulations scale smoothly and sustainably.

How we support you

We provide comprehensive support to help you navigate the journey from innovative concept to commercial success. Our structured approach accelerates development, reduces risk, and ensures your formulations scale smoothly and sustainably.

How we support you

We provide comprehensive support to help you navigate the journey from innovative concept to commercial success. Our structured approach accelerates development, reduces risk, and ensures your formulations scale smoothly and sustainably.

Optimise formulation development

Our advanced analytical and characterisation facilities support in-depth understanding and optimisation of formulations. We troubleshoot issues related to stability, performance, and compliance, significantly reducing development risks. Using predictive modelling and simulation, we identify potential problems early, enabling timely interventions that keep projects on track.

Optimise formulation development

Our advanced analytical and characterisation facilities support in-depth understanding and optimisation of formulations. We troubleshoot issues related to stability, performance, and compliance, significantly reducing development risks. Using predictive modelling and simulation, we identify potential problems early, enabling timely interventions that keep projects on track.

Scale with confidence

Our scalable pilot facilities, combined with life cycle and techno-economic assessments, support smooth transitions to commercial production. We validate scalability, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, while our engineers help resolve production bottlenecks, maintain quality control, and improve process efficiency.

Scale with confidence

Our scalable pilot facilities, combined with life cycle and techno-economic assessments, support smooth transitions to commercial production. We validate scalability, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability, while our engineers help resolve production bottlenecks, maintain quality control, and improve process efficiency.

Collaborate with formulation specialists

Work with our experienced scientists and technologists to extend your R&D capabilities and access valuable industry insight. Through collaborative workshops and tailored innovation programmes, we help solve complex formulation challenges, provide hands-on support, and transfer knowledge to accelerate your time-to-market.

Collaborate with formulation specialists

Work with our experienced scientists and technologists to extend your R&D capabilities and access valuable industry insight. Through collaborative workshops and tailored innovation programmes, we help solve complex formulation challenges, provide hands-on support, and transfer knowledge to accelerate your time-to-market.

Access funding and strategic partnerships

Tap into our extensive network and funding expertise to unlock investment and partnerships that support commercialisation. We facilitate introductions to investors, industry leaders, and academic partners, helping you build strategic relationships and enhance market readiness.

Access funding and strategic partnerships

Tap into our extensive network and funding expertise to unlock investment and partnerships that support commercialisation. We facilitate introductions to investors, industry leaders, and academic partners, helping you build strategic relationships and enhance market readiness.

  • CPI scientist pouring blue liquid into a glass reactor vessel in a laboratory.
    CPI scientist operating an automated LABMAN system beside a control monitor.
  • Engineer viewing a 3D optical lens ray-trace simulation on a computer monitor.
    View through tinted glass of a dispensing print head operating inside a lab enclosure.
  • Reactor-Ready 500 ml jacketed glass process reactor filled with a pale liquid.
  • Automated machine head positioned over a circular wafer during processing.
    Operator holding a radio while monitoring a Siemens process control screen.
  • Person in a blue coat carrying a white hard hat printed with the CPI logo.
    Close-up of stainless steel perforated drums on pharmaceutical processing equipment.
  • Round-bottom flask containing yellow liquid suspended in a clear water bath on a hotplate.
  • CPI scientist pouring blue liquid into a glass reactor vessel in a laboratory.
    CPI scientist operating an automated LABMAN system beside a control monitor.
  • Engineer viewing a 3D optical lens ray-trace simulation on a computer monitor.
    View through tinted glass of a dispensing print head operating inside a lab enclosure.
  • Reactor-Ready 500 ml jacketed glass process reactor filled with a pale liquid.
  • Automated machine head positioned over a circular wafer during processing.
    Operator holding a radio while monitoring a Siemens process control screen.
  • Person in a blue coat carrying a white hard hat printed with the CPI logo.
    Close-up of stainless steel perforated drums on pharmaceutical processing equipment.
  • Round-bottom flask containing yellow liquid suspended in a clear water bath on a hotplate.
  • CPI scientist pouring blue liquid into a glass reactor vessel in a laboratory.
    CPI scientist operating an automated LABMAN system beside a control monitor.
  • Engineer viewing a 3D optical lens ray-trace simulation on a computer monitor.
    View through tinted glass of a dispensing print head operating inside a lab enclosure.
  • Reactor-Ready 500 ml jacketed glass process reactor filled with a pale liquid.
  • Automated machine head positioned over a circular wafer during processing.
    Operator holding a radio while monitoring a Siemens process control screen.
  • Person in a blue coat carrying a white hard hat printed with the CPI logo.
    Close-up of stainless steel perforated drums on pharmaceutical processing equipment.
  • Round-bottom flask containing yellow liquid suspended in a clear water bath on a hotplate.
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Trusted by leading organisations

Showing slide 1 of 1
Photocentric

With CPI’s help, we now have a solid proof-of-concept that we’ve been able to move forward in the development process to higher TRL levels. CPI aided in delivering results and knowledge with a reduced capital investment, allowing us to to achieve our goal in a shorter time span.

Headshot of Robert Young.

Robert Young

Head of Chemistry and Batteries

LiNa Energy

I am delighted with the outcomes of our collaboration with CPI. This project has advanced our Na-MTL-Cl battery technology, demonstrating its enormous potential to decarbonise automotive transport and provide efficient and effective energy storage solutions.

Gene Lewis, Founder LiNA Energy

Gene Lewis

Founder

Chestnut BioPolymers

"We've got prototypes already, which is great. We just made our first sale and so, we've gone from being a research and development company to a trading company, which is quite amazing."

Headshot of Ian Edward Brown, Director

Ian Edward Brown

Director

Stuff4Life

"We are really excited about the next stage of our Stuff4Life journey. Our ultimate goal remains the same – to make new polyester products from old polyester products – but also to make the next generation of workwear last even longer, perform even better and be more recyclable when its job is done. This can make a real difference delivering not just a circular economy for critical materials but decarbonising industrial processes and delivering even better outcomes for all."

Headshot of John Twitchen, Director and Co-Founder

John Twitchen

Director and Co-Founder

Descycle

The future for DEScycle is really exciting. DES truly has the potential to change the world, delivering a step-change in how we produce and recycle metals. By replacing energy and emission intensive processes with DEScycle’s novel technology we can supply the energy transition with low-impact low-carbon metal. Thanks to CPI’s investment and in-house experience, we will be able to rapidly commercialise this technology and bring real disruption to the metals market.

Headshot of Fred White, CCO

Fred White

CCO

Azotic

By working with CPI’s unique combination of in-house expertise and capability, we have saved many months of process development and scale-up, accelerating the commercialisation of our product.

Headshot of Steve Pearson, Chief Operating Officer

Steve Pearson

Chief Operating Officer

Trusted by leading organisations

Showing slide 1 of 1
Photocentric

With CPI’s help, we now have a solid proof-of-concept that we’ve been able to move forward in the development process to higher TRL levels. CPI aided in delivering results and knowledge with a reduced capital investment, allowing us to to achieve our goal in a shorter time span.

Headshot of Robert Young.

Robert Young

Head of Chemistry and Batteries

LiNa Energy

I am delighted with the outcomes of our collaboration with CPI. This project has advanced our Na-MTL-Cl battery technology, demonstrating its enormous potential to decarbonise automotive transport and provide efficient and effective energy storage solutions.

Gene Lewis, Founder LiNA Energy

Gene Lewis

Founder

Chestnut BioPolymers

"We've got prototypes already, which is great. We just made our first sale and so, we've gone from being a research and development company to a trading company, which is quite amazing."

Headshot of Ian Edward Brown, Director

Ian Edward Brown

Director

Stuff4Life

"We are really excited about the next stage of our Stuff4Life journey. Our ultimate goal remains the same – to make new polyester products from old polyester products – but also to make the next generation of workwear last even longer, perform even better and be more recyclable when its job is done. This can make a real difference delivering not just a circular economy for critical materials but decarbonising industrial processes and delivering even better outcomes for all."

Headshot of John Twitchen, Director and Co-Founder

John Twitchen

Director and Co-Founder

Descycle

The future for DEScycle is really exciting. DES truly has the potential to change the world, delivering a step-change in how we produce and recycle metals. By replacing energy and emission intensive processes with DEScycle’s novel technology we can supply the energy transition with low-impact low-carbon metal. Thanks to CPI’s investment and in-house experience, we will be able to rapidly commercialise this technology and bring real disruption to the metals market.

Headshot of Fred White, CCO

Fred White

CCO

Azotic

By working with CPI’s unique combination of in-house expertise and capability, we have saved many months of process development and scale-up, accelerating the commercialisation of our product.

Headshot of Steve Pearson, Chief Operating Officer

Steve Pearson

Chief Operating Officer

Trusted by leading organisations

Showing slide 1 of 1
Photocentric

With CPI’s help, we now have a solid proof-of-concept that we’ve been able to move forward in the development process to higher TRL levels. CPI aided in delivering results and knowledge with a reduced capital investment, allowing us to to achieve our goal in a shorter time span.

Headshot of Robert Young.

Robert Young

Head of Chemistry and Batteries

LiNa Energy

I am delighted with the outcomes of our collaboration with CPI. This project has advanced our Na-MTL-Cl battery technology, demonstrating its enormous potential to decarbonise automotive transport and provide efficient and effective energy storage solutions.

Gene Lewis, Founder LiNA Energy

Gene Lewis

Founder

Chestnut BioPolymers

"We've got prototypes already, which is great. We just made our first sale and so, we've gone from being a research and development company to a trading company, which is quite amazing."

Headshot of Ian Edward Brown, Director

Ian Edward Brown

Director

Stuff4Life

"We are really excited about the next stage of our Stuff4Life journey. Our ultimate goal remains the same – to make new polyester products from old polyester products – but also to make the next generation of workwear last even longer, perform even better and be more recyclable when its job is done. This can make a real difference delivering not just a circular economy for critical materials but decarbonising industrial processes and delivering even better outcomes for all."

Headshot of John Twitchen, Director and Co-Founder

John Twitchen

Director and Co-Founder

Descycle

The future for DEScycle is really exciting. DES truly has the potential to change the world, delivering a step-change in how we produce and recycle metals. By replacing energy and emission intensive processes with DEScycle’s novel technology we can supply the energy transition with low-impact low-carbon metal. Thanks to CPI’s investment and in-house experience, we will be able to rapidly commercialise this technology and bring real disruption to the metals market.

Headshot of Fred White, CCO

Fred White

CCO

Azotic

By working with CPI’s unique combination of in-house expertise and capability, we have saved many months of process development and scale-up, accelerating the commercialisation of our product.

Headshot of Steve Pearson, Chief Operating Officer

Steve Pearson

Chief Operating Officer

Get in touch

Get in touch

Get in touch