As electronics demand greater miniaturization, multifunctionality, and integration, the materials enabling these advancements require significant consideration. Brewer Science is pioneering a new frontier in additive electronics by developing advanced functional materials, including printable low-loss dielectrics, encapsulants, and optical layers, that empower high-performance sensor systems and advanced packaging solutions. These innovations not only enhance device capabilities but also strengthen the domestic electronics supply chain, positioning the U.S. as a leader in next-generation electronics manufacturing.   The Challenge: Evolving Demands in Electronics Manufacturing Microelectronics manufacturing has long relied on proven techniques like photolithography and PCB fabrication, technologies that have enabled decades of innovation and remain essential to many high-performance applications. However, as the industry pushes toward greater miniaturization, multifunctionality, and integration, new manufacturing paradigms are emerging to meet these evolving demands. Additive manufacturing offers unique advantages in design flexibility, rapid prototyping, and integration of complex 3D structures. Yet, while structural additive manufacturing has matured, the development of functional materials, such as printable dielectrics, conductive materials, and encapsulants, remains a critical frontier. Brewer Science is helping bridge this gap by introducing advanced materials that compl...

Digital Additive Hybrid Solutions as a Value Driver

Authors: Frédéric SOULIER and Viktoriya TESSIER-DOYEN Email authors here   In the era of Smart Factories, IoT, AI and Sustainability Goals, the electronics and industrial sectors are undergoing a profound transformation. Traditional subtractive methods : etching, photolithography, plating still dominate, but they come with high fixed tooling cost, lead times, and material wastage. Digital Additive Manufacturing  — particularly in the domain of Printed Electronics — is emerging as a powerful disruptive lever. Among various solutions in this space, the CeraPrinter , by Ceradrop - MGI Group, offers hybrid digital deposition equipment that combine multiple printing technologies : Inkjet, NanoJet, Aerosol Jet®, Microdispensing  to deliver flexible, precise, and sustainable manufacturing across industrial domains. This article discusses key trends, technical merits, hybrid approaches, and business advantages of digital additive hybrid manufacturing. We are Exhibiting in Berlin. Visit our booth at the TechBlick event on 22-23 October 2025 in Berlin . Contact us for your special discount coupon to attend   Trends & Growth in the Printed Electronics Sector The global printed electronics market is forecast to grow strongly — expected to nearly double by 2030. This expansion is driven by flexible, lightweight, multifunctional electronics for wearables, automotive, sensors, and IoT devices.Key trends include flexibility, sustainabi...

Contact: Max Scherf, Maximilian.Scherf@profactor.at     Reimagining the entire life-cycle of electronics—from raw material sourcing to end-of-life management—is essential for building a sustainable economy and society. The EU-funded HyPELignum project addresses this challenge by exploring a holistic approach for manufacturing electronics with net zero carbon emissions, centred around additive manufacturing and wood-derived materials.   Methodology Materials By creating novel materials derived from wood feedstock, such as lignocellulosic composite boards, bio-derived resins, and functional compounds incorporating abundant, low-impact metals, a transition towards green electronics can be realized. These new materials expand the technological possibilities for electronics while maintaining a strong focus on environmental responsibility. A key material in this development is Cellulose Nano Fibrils (CNF), known for its excellent mechanical performance, ease of application, biodegradability, and eco-friendly nature. CNF has emerged as a promising material for eco-electronics due to its unique properties. Initial research at Empa demonstrated the feasibility of using CNF from delignified pulp (ECF) for eco-electronics applications. The prepared CNF samples exhibited robust mechanical strength and stability in indoor environments, providing a strong foundation for further development. While CNF-based ecoPCBs show strong mechanical properties comparable to FR4 PCBs, they face challeng...

Authors: Caitlin Ho, Michelle Ntola, Oliver Semple, Neil Vyas, iGii, marketing@igii.uk The focus and development of new advanced materials has significantly increased as technology has evolved and increased the demand for high-performance and sustainable solutions for integration into new technologies.
3D carbon nanomaterials are a versatile and adaptable material with potential to revolutionise multiple industries. The combination of properties such as high surface area, electrical and thermal conductivity and anti-fouling, make 3D carbon films exceptional materials. For example, in applications like sensing, advanced materials are paving the way for versatile, high-performing, miniaturised, and low-power consumption platforms applicable across a wide variety of fields. Whilst in applications such as heating elements, energy and catalysis, they offer a more cost-effective, efficient and more sustainable solution by improving performance and lifespan. iGii’s pure, porous, 3D carbon nanomaterial, Gii, offers a high-performance, cost-effective and more sustainable solution for number of applications across sensing, energy, thermal and more. We are Exhibiting in Berlin. Visit our booth at the TechBlick event on 22-23 October 2025 in Berlin . Contact us for your special discount coupon to attend   Sensing 3D carbon nanomaterials are revolutionising the sensing industry. With its excellent properties and flexibility in design it offers a solution that enables diverse application...

LevSurf™  is a UV‑cured hard-coated polycarbonate (PC) film  engineered to enable three-dimensional forming for IMD/FIM manufacturing — combining scratch resistance and robust chemical durability with material flexibility. The coating is fully cured prior to forming , eliminating the need for post-processing steps like secondary UV curing or lacquer, increasing throughput and reducing defect rates. Tailored for cover-lens substitution in high-resolution displays  (e.g. automotive instrument panels), LevSurf offers optical clarity comparable to glass , with weight savings and potential reductions in CO₂ footprint per vehicle lifecycle. Constructed using polycarbonate substrate , LevSurf features anti-reflective (F18) or glossy (F04)  finishes, each optimized for display readability or aesthetic effect. The hardcoat layer  yields durability — pencil hardness H and full chemical resistance while allowing elongation of up to ~125% during forming without cracking. The film maintains excellent optical performance , with haze as low as ~0.1% and reflectance around 1.4%, paired with anti-fingerprint and anti-glare finishes for improved visual performance. Kimoto applies the UV-curable coating using ISO‑certified clean‑room R2R coating lines , ensuring minimal particulate contamination for high-resolution display optics. After coating, the film can be printed (e.g. for in-mold graphics), then formed via IMD/FIM tooling. As the coating is fully cured, there’s no post-curing required ...

Authors: Laszlo Izso. Matthias Carnoy. Nandan Singh Ruhela. Benjamin Borie. Mira Baraket. Maksym Plakhotnyuk Introduction: ZnO from an Applications point of view Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a versatile semiconductor material that has attracted broad interest in electronics and sensing. It features a direct wide bandgap of ~3.37 eV, making it useful for UV optoelectronic devices like LEDs and photodetectors [1]. ZnO is also abundant, low-cost, and chemically stable, and it can be synthesized via relatively easy methods all contributing to its popularity in research and industry [2]. Beyond optics, ZnO can be doped to achieve high conductivity (transparent conducting films) and used in thin-film transistors (TFTs) as an  n -type semiconductor channel. In microelectronics, ZnO and related oxides have been explored for transparent and flexible transistors, as well as varistors and UV sensors. Its wurtzite crystal structure lacks inversion symmetry, giving ZnO a strong electromechanical coupling it is one of the few semiconductors that is also piezoelectric [3]. This means mechanical strain can induce an electric charge and vice versa, enabling ZnO to serve in mechanical actuators and sensors [3]. In MEMS/NEMS devices, polycrystalline ZnO thin films (often  c -axis oriented) are used for piezoelectric actuators, micro-resonators, and energy harvesters. For example, ZnO thin films form the active layer in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices and bulk acoustic resonators for filters and sens...

We shine the spotlight on a relatively unknown yet vital component in the printed electronics sector: the substrate. Interview with Christophe Geffray, CEO of Normandy Coating, a company based in Dieppe on the Normandy coast in France. Christophe Geffray, CEO Christophe, you are the CEO of a company specialising in polymer film surface treatment. Could you briefly describe your know-how?   Christophe: We have two production units, in Arques-La-Bataille near Dieppe: one .has been specialising in the  chemical coating and heat stabilisation o f polyester films for over 50 years. We also have a Plasma coating unit (NORCOP) which enables us to offer nanometric molecular coating on a wider range of substrates from PET, PEI, PEN, PI and PC to paper, etc. To put it simply, we give naturally inert films or paper the properties requested by our customers: Adhesion Printability Transfer/release “Barrier” effects Thermal stability Most importantly though, we are recognised for our ability to provide surface treatments tailored to the specific needs of our customers. If you need finely tuned adhesion, an instant release effect or a water-repellent film which can still be printed on, we are there! We are Exhibiting in Berlin. Visit our booth at the TechBlick event on 22-23 October 2025 in Berlin . Contact us for your special discount coupon to attend List of properties added to the substrate In your opinion, why is the substrate and its surface treatment so important in the printed elect...

Smarter. Cleaner. Faster. Cheaper. Autonomous.
Author: Masoud Mahjouri-Samani  info@nanoprintek.com   In every industry, government, and research lab, there is a common struggle. A researcher has a bold idea — a new material, a new device, a new way to connect the world — but the path from idea to realization is paved with many obstacles. Complex inks that take from months to years to formulate. Unthinkable cost of ink. Fragile chemistries that clog and contaminate. Post-processing steps that delay progress and drive up costs. In the end, too much time, too much money, and too much waste stand between vision and reality. At NanoPrintek, we asked a simple question: what if all those barriers could be removed? We are Exhibiting in Berlin. Visit our booth at the TechBlick event on 22-23 October 2025 in Berlin . Contact us for your special discount coupon to attend From Raw Materials to Reality Our answer is the world’s first ink-free multi-material printing platform — a system that bypasses inks entirely, printing directly from solid raw materials. Metals, ceramics, dielectrics, composites — all transformed into pure, functional patterns in real time. There are no binders, no solvents, no drying or curing stages. Just direct, clean, and precise printing. The impact is immediate: Devices built in hours, not months Materials costs slashed by 10–1000X Near-zero chemical waste, near-zero compromises A Platform That Learns But freedom from inks was only the beginning. With the laun...