Industry Survey! We need your input! On 12 May, we have planned a special workshop covering two important themes: (1) Screen Printing for Printed Electronics and (2) InMold Electronics. The event will include: Expert Panel on InMold Electronics: Proell GmbH, Covestro, Panacol, MacDermid, and TactoTek Round Robin Speed Networking Talks on State-of-the-Art in Screen Printing: Suzhou Maxwell, Sefar, and RISE Research Institute Round Robin Speed Networking Expert Panel on Screen Printing: RH Solutions, e2ip, Sun Chemical Corp, Kissel + Wolf Group, and Fernando's Consulting (ex-Asada Mesh) Round Robin Speed Networking You can see the agenda for the event here. To guide the panel discussions, ask the most important questions and raise the most pressing issues, we would like to invite you to fill out this brief and easy industry survey, basically sharing your thoughts, comments or questions. Here is the link to the survey. As a thank you, we will offer you a 200 Euro discount to participate at TechBlick events for 12 months....

This video looks at the latest innovations in luminous and HMI (human-machine interface) surfaces. Forvia is a tier one automotive company with 150,000 employees and 300 sites worldwide, aiming to become one of the world's largest automotive technology companies. Their innovation team, located in Scotland, focuses on display and HMI product lines, advanced backlight design, and other next-generation solutions.
Forvia's ecosystem of startups that have been acquired focuses on developing the next generation of printed electronics.
Forvia's projects include working with car manufacturers on exterior lighting with large continuous limited surfaces and pixelation. They are developing large area dynamic lighting with functionality as well as decoration across the IP door panels and even into the roof liner. For the front of the car, they are working on grill elimination and brand lighting, combining backlighting technologies and low-resolution displays. However, their main focus is on the cockpit display.
The cockpit display is a large 3D glass panel with screens and other electronic functionalities bonded behind it. Forvia takes standard industry screens and combines them with lighting and other functionalities to create the perception of very large information surfaces while reducing costs.
Forvia's light tile technology uses LEDs, printed electronics, and beta inside transparent polymers with optics around them to create homogenous lighting and backlighting of surfaces. ...

Introduction: The rapidly evolving electronics industry demands innovative solutions for quick prototyping and the creation of uniquely shaped devices. An advanced 3D printer, specifically designed for printed electronics, has the potential to revolutionize the sector. In this blog post, we will delve into the key features and capabilities of this groundbreaking 3D printing technology, its applications, and its potential impact on the electronics industry. A Comprehensive 3D Printing Solution for Electronics: The cutting-edge 3D printer in focus offers three essential functions: resin printing, circuit formation, and part mounting. This all-in-one machine can produce printed circuit boards (PCBs) within a day using an additive process, eliminating the need for traditional glass and metal mask tools. This allows users to manufacture even a single piece, making it an ideal choice for rapid prototyping and production of uniquely shaped devices. Innovative Applications and Use Cases: The 3D printer's versatility and potential in the electronics industry have already been demonstrated in various applications. Two of the primary use cases for this advanced technology include: Rapid Prototyping: The 3D printer can manufacture multiple boards simultaneously, reducing the overall production time. The latest iteration of this technology is designed to produce boards in just 16 hours, making it an excellent tool for super rapid prototyping. Unique Shaped Devices: The printer's ability t...

1️⃣ Tackling waste: Focusing on sustainable materials to reduce waste and improve recyclability. 2️⃣ Exploring new materials: Nanocellulose for biodegradable printed electronics devices. 3️⃣ Innovative processes: Thermal nanoimprint lithography for functional surfaces without additional materials. 4️⃣ Enhanced functionality: Smart devices that improve the sustainability of packaged goods. 5️⃣ Working together: Collaboration with partners to ensure end-to-end sustainability in the printed electronics industry. #SustainableTech #PrintedElectronics #GreenInnovation #Sustainable Electronics Thomas Exlager, a process engineer at Coatema, discussed making printed electronics more sustainable by focusing on the waste problem. He presented four solutions to this issue: 1) choosing materials wisely, as exemplified by the Flex Function to Sustain project, which developed a mono-material system for Capri-Sun packaging; 2) using new materials like nanocellulose for printed biosensors in the Green Sense project; 3) adopting new process technology, such as thermal nanoimprint lithography, to create functional surfaces without additional materials; and 4) developing smart devices or materials to improve sustainability. Thomas emphasized that, while Coatema is not responsible for the sustainability aspects of these projects, the company can provide knowledge and work as an intermediary between partners....

GE Healthcare is a global company that has been operating for many years, with almost 50,000 employees and a revenue of almost 20 billion dollars. The company is best known for its medical imaging devices, but one of its business units, Monitoring Solutions, is focused on manufacturing multi-parameter monitors for operating rooms and intensive care units. Recently, GE Healthcare established a smaller unit that focuses on wearable patient monitoring, which is the department that will be discussed in this video. Patient Monitoring in Hospital: In an intensive care unit, a sedated patient is connected to many cables and tubing to measure various parameters. The nursing staff is interested in knowing whether the tissues are properly oxygenated, whether the medication is correct, and whether other vital organs are functioning well. Therefore, lots of information is required to answer these kinds of questions. On the other hand, in general wards, patients are not monitored at all. The vitals are checked once or twice a day, which is a recognized problem since incidents may happen. Wearable Patient Monitoring: The wearable patient monitoring department of GE Healthcare has recently released a product called the Portrait Mobile Monitoring Solution. It includes two wireless transmitters, one measuring the respiration rate, and the other measuring the blood oxygen level. The system also includes a small mobile phone-like patient monitor that can be used in standalone mode or transmit d...

Author: Tsuyoshi Takeda, Panasonic The Electronic Materials Business Division of Panasonic Industry Co.,Ltd. (Panasonic) is a premier supplier of electronic materials like printed circuit boards laminates, semiconductor packaging materials, display films and other leading-edge products. Leveraging our core expertise in high-performance thermosetting polymer chemistry, we developed BEYOLEX™, a fully cross-linked, non-silicone, thermosetting stretchable film. BEYOLEX™ is specifically designed as a soft, stretchable, and durable substrate for reliable printed electronics. BEYOLEX™ exhibits superior performance when compared to existing stretchable films like Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and is under evaluation and qualification for a wide variety of demanding applications. In collaboration with our innovative partners, Panasonic introduces our latest case studies on soft circuit development which is one of the promising applications of BEYOLEX™. Case Study 1: Pliable PCB made with copper sintering ink InnovationLab and Panasonic developed a pliable PCB demonstrator. This device was designed and manufactured by InnovationLab using BEYOLEX™ and sintered copper ink. Generally, the copper inks require a high sintering temperature (>160 °C), which is extremely challenging for TPU. As can be seen in Pic 1, the BEYOLEX™ substrate had no difficulty tolerating the sintering temperature and exhibited no damage from the process. Furthermore, the combina...

Marco Galazio discussed advanced screen printing techniques for manufacturing medical sensors, specifically focusing on continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors. Applied Materials, the parent company, has a long history in the semiconductor business and has diversified into adjacent markets, including medical sensors. Their objective is to miniaturize the sensor's components and optimize the screen printing process for various layers in the sensor. The screen printing process involves multiple steps and layers, such as the circuit layer with nano silver-based paste, the carbon sensing element, the insulating resist layer, and the silver/silver chloride material layer. Each layer requires optimization of printing speed, force, and curing conditions to achieve the desired specifications. For instance, the nano silver-based paste allows for features around 50 microns and requires careful management of the printing speed to balance shorting risks and process efficiency. By benchmarking against other mainstream applications, they found that screen printing could be more cost-effective and competitive. The manufacturing tool they use integrates various subsystems, such as automation, inspection, and process control, for a fully packaged solution. Although the glucose-sensitive layer isn't integrated into the presented process, it is added later to create the complete biosensor. Challenges remain in using nanosilver for miniaturization, but improvements are ongoing....

Celanesae Micromax | presested live onsite in Eindhoven in OCT 2022 This is an AI-generated summary of the talk There are a lot of different applications for biosensors, such as blood glucose measurement, drug delivery, DNA testing, food and beverage testing, and environmental sensors. I think the list can be extended to include blood gas detection or measuring urine detection. Blood glucose test strips are used to measure blood glucose levels. The next generation is the continuous glucose monitoring patch, which doesn't require you to take a drop of blood many times over the day. The principle is the same as a blood glucose test strip, but the needle goes in the skin not so deep, but going into the skin, and it measures the diffused glucose in the interstellar fluid in the skin. The electrocardiogram is a simple description of a muscle contraction. It is used in wellness applications as well as medical applications, and therefore the material must really constant and that starts to be really challenging. I think the principle is always the same, and you can measure an electrical impulse in many parts of the body. The design of an ECG electrode is that you have a single disposable patch, and typically use silver, silver chloride electrodes. However, the gel can cause skin irritation, and the patch is limited in the shelf life or the usable time. We are not only focused on ECG and blood glucose, we are also working on other products. The key word is partnership, and the more...