7 June 2023
Methods for Printed & Additive Electronics: which one(s) should I use for my application
Neil Chilton Technical Director With an increasingly large number of electronic additive-manufacturing processes available, it can be confusing to know which methods are applicable for your application. Printed Electronics Limited (PEL) is a manufacturer and product development company with very long experience printable electronics. PEL also represent some of the leading equipment manufacturers in the industry. In this short presentation we will provide some key pointers to assist in the choice of equipment and manufacturing approach....
5 June 2023
Embrioded Electronic Textiles: Solving the textile-to-PCB and ecosystem challenges
Mass manufacturing electronic textiles and in doing so combining textile fibers/garments as well as textile based wiring and sensors with PCB electronics is no easy task. A critical manufacturing challenge here has always been the creation of a reliable high-quality connection between textile wiring/sensors and PCBs/rigid components using a mass manufacturing machine. ZSK has innovated to solve this issue for embroidered electronic textiles. ZSK will be exhibiting in Berlin at TechBlick's event on RESHAPING ELECTRONICS. Please join us and the entire global community on 17-18 OCT 2023. Lear more here https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped Solving the textile-to-PCB connection issue As you can see in slide [1], typically PCBs do not lend themselves well to embroidery of electronics. This is because one often has loose connections, because the high thickness and the sharp edges act as failure points and because the large holes allow movement which loosens the connections. This means that it is not easy to achieve automatic manufacturing with standard PCBs in a reliable way. This is why - as shown in slide [2] - ZSK developed the ZSK E-Tex-Board, which addresses the above mentioned issues, optimizing the board geometry (hole size, smooth edges, thickness, outer line design, etc) for mass embroidered e-textiles combining textiles wiring/sensors with PCBs. As shown in slide [3], these special boards are also compatible with automatic placement machines, enabling a fully aut...
7 June 2023
CondAlign | Room temperature bonding in printed & flexible electronics – solutions addressing cost &
Morten Lindberget | VP Business Development and Sales
CondAlign develops and produces adhesive anisotropic conductive films, based on their unique technology. These adhesive ACFs combine unique properties making them very well suited for room temperature bonding in the printed, flexible and hybrid electronics area. They do not require any post processing, and are ideal for efficiently bonding to temperature sensitive substrates, for instance in a pick and place process. This enables designs and applications beyond today’s traditional limits, taking care of the function and performance in a sustainable and cost efficient...
6 June 2023
PST Sensors | Beyond Printing Thermistors
David Britton | Director Just over a decade ago, PST Sensors in South Africa introduced its first printed temperature sensor – a simple NTC thermistor printed on paper using its first-generation semiconducting silicon ink. In 2023, PST Sensors Europe in the UK is now implementing PST’s fourth generation sensor ink in EV batteries, agrifoodtech and healthtech. The latest generation of inks exhibit improved adhesion to a wide range of substrates - including polyimide, aramid and, polycarbonate – as well excellent stability which, when combined with internet connectivity and real-time predictive analysis, enables all of the applications which will be discussed....
5 June 2023
Making Liquid Metals Truly Printable
Liquid metals are truly a unique material. They offer amazing properties like extremely high stretchability with no change of resistance which can be useful in many textile, wearable, and/or robotic applications. To learn more about this amazing technology join us Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023 to RESHAPE the Future of Electronics: https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped They are typically based on a GaIn alloy with a eutectic bled that is liquid at room temperature. A thin layer of oxide spontaneously forms around the liquid droplets, helping to mechanically stabilize them. In general, they are not easy to print. Currently, companies offer a gel version of them which can be dispensed under an applied electric force. This is an important advancement but dispensing has its own limitations. In any case, such materials are not a drop-in solution for the printed electronics industry. Furthermore, the choice of the substrates on which one can print is typically limited to high surface energy substrates. This constraints applicability. Finally, control of sintering [removing oxide shell] and temperature stability can be challenges. The researchers at the Air Force Research Lab - led by Christopher Tabor- are pioneering work on making liquid metals actually printable, meaning that one could use screen, gravure or other printing systems to additive deposit these materials. They presented their latest results at the TechBlick event on Wearable Technology and E-Textiles [more details ...




