The R&D journey behind System Digital
When System Ceramics decided to extend its digital printing expertise beyond traditional ceramic applications, the initiative represented a technological and scientific challenge.
In 2016, this vision led to the creation of System Digital, a dedicated brand designed to explore new materials, new industrial logics and new market dynamics.
From an R&D perspective, the transition was significant. “When we entered the glass sector, we quickly understood that it was not an extension of ceramics, but a completely different industrial sector. We had to rethink materials, processes and market expectations from the ground up.” says Fabio Licopodio, Engineering Product Leader of R&D Department.
What began as a technological extension quickly evolved into a structured research path. The expansion beyond ceramics required building new competencies while preserving the core digital expertise that had defined the company’s origins.
R&D as the core driver of System Digital
From its inception, Research and Development has represented the strategic engine of System Digital. The brand’s growth has been guided by a clear principle: innovation must be grounded in deep technical understanding and long-term experimentation.
As the R&D department explains, “R&D is not a support function for System Digital, it is the core driver of every strategic decision, from material analysis to software development.”
For the R&D department, entering new sectors meant approaching each material with both a scientific and experimental mindset. The objective was not merely to adapt existing solutions, but to understand the entire production process: what happens before printing, during printing and after printing.
This approach required continuous investment in laboratory infrastructure, software development, ink qualification and material analysis. The R&D team became the one who transformed experimentation into industrial reliability and translated theoretical knowledge into measurable production performance.
The commitment to research is always an ongoing process that supports every strategic decision, ensuring that technological evolution aligns with real industrial needs.
Key R&D strengths and technological focus
One of the defining strengths of System Digital’s R&D team lies in its uncompromising focus on print quality. In highly demanding industrial sectors, quality is not simply an aesthetic outcome, but a technical parameter linked to consistency, repeatability and defect reduction. Achieving top-level print quality remains a non-negotiable objective, guiding every stage of technology development and positioning the company’s solutions at the high end of the market.
A key element supporting this objective is Creavision, which has evolved from an optional feature into a core component of the printing process. It detects the exact position of each tile on the conveyor and automatically realigns the graphic, ensuring precise adaptation to complex geometries and surfaces; while Printvision, at the output, verifies that the print has been executed correctly.
This level of performance is further supported by deep expertise in ink management and digital printing processes. The behavior of inks on different substrates is studied extensively, considering chemical interaction, curing or firing conditions and long-term durability. In this context, the development and application of UV-R inks represented a major technological milestone. These inks opened the door to multicolor digital printing and significantly expanded the range of possible applications, while maintaining the high-quality standards required for industrial-scale production.
Alongside material and ink research, software development and process control play a central role. Advanced algorithms and process optimization tools ensure precise drop control, accurate image definition and reliable registration, enabling consistent results even at high production speeds.
Through the integration of mechanical engineering, chemistry and software, the R&D team operates with a fully integrated technological vision. This multidisciplinary approach enables System Digital to transform research into reliable industrial technologies, combining precision, flexibility and scalability in sectors where performance requirements are particularly demanding.
Glass as a complex and highly specialized industrial sector
Entering the glass sector represented one of the most demanding challenges for the R&D team at System Digital. “In flat automotive glass, manufacturers operate under extremely demanding conditions, where productivity, operational continuity and consistent quality are essential. This is why we focused on single-pass printing technology from the very beginning, as it is far better suited to high-volume industrial production than traditional multipass solutions. At the same time, we adopted an open ink approach, giving customers greater flexibility while maintaining strict qualification protocols and strong chemical control” explains the R&D team.
The development of Creaglass is the outcome of this path: a solution engineered to combine print quality, reliability and industrial scalability in a highly specialized sector.
Tableware as a strategic sector
After consolidating its position in glass, the R&D team extended its expertise to the tableware sector. While closer to ceramics in terms of materials and production processes, tableware still presents specific technical challenges. The primary objective was to ensure decorative precision on complex geometries while maintaining process stability and high-quality standards. Creaware was developed to address these needs, translating System Digital’s digital printing know-how into a solution tailored for tableware applications.
In this sector as well, research played a central role in transforming established expertise into a dedicated and competitive industrial technology.
The product development process at System Digital
At System Digital, product development is guided by a holistic R&D methodology, focused on maximizing print quality across the entire production cycle.
Each project begins with in-depth material analysis, studying physical and chemical properties, as well as ink interaction under real industrial conditions. Close collaboration with ink manufacturers ensures rigorous qualification processes and continuous technological alignment. From early experimentation and patent activity to partnerships with universities and research centers, development has always been driven by structured research and validation. This approach enables System Digital to transform technical expertise into advanced solutions such as Creaglass and Creaware, designed to meet the highest industrial standards.
How the team was built and structured
The evolution of System Digital is closely linked to the progressive structuring of its team. Initially supported by resources from System Ceramics, the organization gradually developed a dedicated structure built around key functions including R&D, software development, sales and service.
Team growth was intentionally gradual. This approach allowed competencies to mature over time, enabling the organization to deepen its understanding of new sectors while building increasingly robust development processes.
Today, System Digital relies on fully dedicated resources, supported by cross-functional teams providing specialized expertise in chemistry, ink qualification and laboratory activities. This structure ensures that technological development benefits from both focused specialization and broader technical collaboration.
“At System Digital, innovation is driven by an open, dynamic and collaborative R&D mindset. Different competencies work together continuously, allowing us to combine deep technical expertise with the flexibility needed to develop solutions for complex industrial applications” the R&D team explains.
Through this collaborative model, mechanical engineering, chemistry, software and process expertise converge within a single development framework. As a result, System Digital operates as a research-driven brand where R&D is not an isolated department, but the central force shaping technology, innovation and long-term strategic growth.
Learn more about the R&D mindset behind System Digital and explore how this approach drives digital printing beyond ceramics, by discovering our website.