How the SPS ASTRON QX Series Advances Cylinder Printing for Printed Electronics Author: Ron Hayden | ron@rhsolutionsllc.com Figure 1: The automatic 4-post SPS ASTRON QX57 - The newest generation of STOP cylinder screen printing machines In printed electronics, a few microns can determine whether a device performs as intended or fails entirely. Conductive traces must align precisely with dielectric layers, resistive elements must maintain consistent geometry, and each deposited layer must deliver repeatable electrical performance. Achieving this level of consistency depends on one critical factor: the stability of the printing platform. Applications such as membrane switches, capacitive sensors, automotive HMI interfaces, and flexible electronics rely on the controlled deposition of conductive, dielectric, and resistive inks. Each layer must be printed with high positional accuracy while maintaining uniform ink thickness across the substrate. Even minor variations in the print process can affect conductivity, resistance, or sensor response. Figure 2: Live video of SPS Astron QX57 operating For manufacturers of functional devices, printing stability is not simply a measure of visual quality. It is fundamental to product reliability. To meet these requirements, new press architectures are emerging that move beyond the mechanical drive systems traditionally used in cylinder screen printing. The SPS ASTRON QX series represents a significant step in this evolution. Built around a f...

Researchers and product developers continually push the limits of precision and resolution in material dispensing. Dot dispensing in electronics and other advanced fields such as additive manufacturing, chemical engineering, and biomedicine provides the fine control needed for cutting-edge applications, enabling features such as fine solder paste application, DNA microarrays (a kind of biochip), or adhesive micro dots. How dot dispensing works In dot dispensing (a form of drop-on-demand printing), a small volume of functional material is ejected from a nozzle to form a droplet (”dot”) that lands on a substrate at a specified location. Each dot is typically on the order of microliters, nanoliters, or even picoliters in volume. The process is digitally controlled: each droplet is generated only when and where needed, allowing precise patterning and minimizing waste. By adjusting process parameters (such as pressure pulses or actuator voltage), the system controls the volume of each drop and thus the dot size on the substrate. Applications of dot dispensing The applications of dot dispensing include microelectronics packaging (e.g., solder paste, conductive adhesives), flexible printed electronics, microfluidics fabrication, biomaterial and cell-based bioprinting, LED phosphor dispensing, underfill encapsulation, and the construction of microstructured sensors and actuators for electronic skin and wearable technology. They provide high accuracy, repeatability, and scalability c...

The Future of Electronics RESHAPED USA conference and exhibition (10 & 11 JUNE 2026, Mountain View) is set to be the most important event of the year in Silicon Valley focused on additive, hybrid, 3D, sustainable, wearable, soft and textile electronics. Hosted at the iconic Computer History Museum, this event serves as the global hub for the next generation of electronics. This year the program features a world-class agenda with over 75 superb invited talks from around the world, 8 industry- or expert-led masterclasses, 2 tours, and over 75 onsite exhibitors. In this article, we discuss and highlight various innovative talks at the event around the theme of Wearable Sensors, Actuators and Soft Robotics. In other articles we cover themes like materials innovation, additive electronics in packaging and PCBs, wearables and sensors, soft robotics, additive electronics in packaging and PCB production, sustainable electronics, and more. Explore the full agenda now and join the global industry in Mountain View on 10 & 11 JUNE 2026. Let us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics together, making it Additive, Hybrid, 3D, R2R, Soft, Flexible, Wearable, Textile and Sustainable. 🚨Explore the Full Agenda and Register before 3 May when early bird rates expire GE Healthcare – Gurvinder Singh Khinda discusses sustainability in single-use medical sensors and devices. Gurvinder explores the significant environmental burden of biohazardous single-use products and the sanitation issues inherent in t...

The Future of Electronics RESHAPED USA conference and exhibition (10 & 11 JUNE 2026, Mountain View) is set to be the most important event of the year in Silicon Valley focused on additive, hybrid, 3D, sustainable, wearable, soft and textile electronics. Hosted at the iconic Computer History Museum, this event serves as the global hub for the next generation of electronics. This year the program features a world-class agenda with over 75 superb invited talks from around the world, 8 industry- or expert-led masterclasses, 2 tours, and over 75 onsite exhibitors. In this article, we discuss and highlight various innovative talks at the event around the theme of Hybrid Electronic Manufacturing and Scale-Up. In other articles we cover themes like materials innovation, additive electronics in packaging and PCBs, wearables and sensors, soft robotics, additive and 3D electronics, sustainable electronics, and more. Explore the full agenda now and join the global industry in Mountain View on 10 & 11 JUNE 2026. Let us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics together, making it Additive, Hybrid, 3D, R2R, Soft, Flexible, Wearable, Textile and Sustainable. 🚨Explore the Full Agenda and Register before 3 May when early bird rates expire NextFlex – Dan Gamota discusses manufacturing readiness for hybrid electronics. In this session, Dan explores the lack of standardized data and validated qualification pathways that currently slow the transition from lab innovation to industrial deployment. Emphasi...

21 & 22 OCT 2026 Berlin, Estrel Congress Centre co-located with the TechBlick Electronics RESHAPED Show echBlick is launching the Sustainable Electronics RESHAPED conference and exhibition - an event dedicated to Sustainable Electronic Materials, Resource Efficient Electronic Manufacturing, and Circular Designs. This event will be co-located with the Future of Electronics RESHAPED in Berlin on 21 and 22 OCT 2026 - our flagship event dedicated to additive manufacturing of electronics. The synergy is natural. Additive electronics enables material-efficient, low-energy, and resource-conscious manufacturing, making it intrinsically aligned with sustainable and circular electronics. The combined event will feature 650 participants, 85 exhibitors and over 100 conference talks. World-Class Program We will curate a fantastic program. In fact, confirmed speakers include Signify Research, AT&S, AUMOVIO, 4MOD, PrintOCell, Fraunhofer IZM, Yamagata University, Silicon Austria Labs GmbH, University of Maryland, Auburn University, DP Patterning, EMPA and others Exhibition - special pricing We are offering a special exhibition package to our Sustainable Electronics RESHAPED exhibitors. The special pricing is possible thanks to our close collaboration with the Smart Textile Alliance. Please contact tom@techblick.com for further information regarding pricing and the details of the packages...

The status quo of additive manufacturing and inkjet printing How EHD technology is pushing the boundaries EHD in practice – applications for industry Implementation of EHD technology into the Notion Systems ecosystem The status quo of additive manufacturing and inkjet printing Author: Simon Rihm | Notion Systems |https://www.linkedin.com/in/rihmsimon/ (1) The status quo of additive manufacturing and inkjet printing Over the past two decades, additive manufacturing has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from a technology primarily confined to prototyping into a cornerstone of modern industrial production. This transformation is driven by its high flexibility, strong potential for customization, shorter development cycles, and efficient use of materials. By depositing material only where needed, additive processes significantly reduce waste compared to conventional methods - an advantage that is particularly important for expensive or scarce materials such as titanium alloys or high-purity metals. Additionally, additive manufacturing enables the production of complex structures that are difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional techniques, leading to lighter and higher-performance components. The growing significance of additive manufacturing is especially evident in the electronics and semiconductor industries. These fields are defined by ongoing miniaturization, increasing integration density, and extremely stringent precision requirements. Convent...

Applications: Antennas · Electrodes · Conductors · Heaters · Circuit Boards Conventional flex-PCB production is still dominated by wet chemical etching or printed conductive inks—processes built around multiple material steps, hazardous chemicals, and inherently unstable cost structures driven by silver and other volatile inputs. While widely adopted, these methods are increasingly misaligned with what the market now demands: scalable production, supply chain resilience, regulatory compliance, and verifiable sustainability. Across industries, regulatory pressure is tightening. ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) reporting requirements, restrictions on hazardous substances, and increasing scrutiny of chemical-intensive manufacturing processes are forcing companies to rethink not only what they produce, but how it is produced and documented. At the same time, geopolitical uncertainty and material volatility are exposing the fragility of globalized, chemistry-dependent supply chains. DP Patterning’s patented Dry Phase Patterning (DPP) technology was developed to remove these constraints entirely. At its core, DP Patterning replaces chemistry-based etching processes with a fully dry, mechanical roll-to-roll method. Instead of defining circuit geometry by selectively removing material through etchants and chemical processes, the pattern is formed directly in a metal-clad flexible substrate—typically aluminum-based laminates—using mechanical processing. The process is based ...

The Future of Electronics RESHAPED USA conference and exhibition (10 & 11 JUNE 2026, Mountain View) is set to be the most important event of the year in Silicon Valley focused on additive, hybrid, 3D, sustainable, wearable, soft and textile electronics. Hosted at the iconic Computer History Museum, this event serves as the global hub for the next generation of electronics. This year the program features a world-class agenda with over 75 superb invited talks from around the world, 8 industry- or expert-led masterclasses, 2 tours, and over 75 onsite exhibitors. In this article, we discuss and highlight various innovative talks at the event around the theme of Material Innovations in Printed Electronics. In previous articles we covered process advancements, R2R manufacturing, smart surfaces and sensing, printed photovoltaics and more. Explore the full agenda now and join the global industry in Mountain View on 10 & 11 JUNE 2026. Let us RESHAPE the Future of Electronics together, making it Additive, Hybrid, 3D, R2R, Soft, Flexible, Wearable, Textile and Sustainable. 🚨Explore the Full Agenda and Register before 3 May when early bird rates expire Tatsuta – Robert Wilson discusses silver-coated copper particle conductive pastes. Robert explores the critical challenge of copper oxidation, which severely impacts the reliability of low-cost interconnects when replacing expensive silver. By engineering silver-coated copper particles, Tatsuta combines the cost advantages of copper with ...