Printed electronic devices, both flexible and rigid, represent a significant and growing potential. IDTechEx estimates that the materials market for printed electronics will reach $6.9 billion in 2031. Specialization is required at many stages of the process. Matchmaking and new partnerships can be significant success factors. Strong commercial potential between Canadian and international organizations provides opportunities for mutually rewarding relationships. AFELIM and intelliFLEX have partnered to provide that environment for their respective members.
In this presentation, AFELIM is highlighted. As the French printed electronics association, it represents the companies that do business in printed electronics in France. AFELIM includes every profession in the value chain and is the counterpart to intelliFLEX.

Currently the Business Manager, Amico 2030, Mickael Rougette started along his path by studying international business development and market access in France. Mickael’s long, strong connection with both AFELIM and intelliFLEX stems from working in France for five years in the supply of polymer treatments for the European automotive industry. During that time, he became an active member of AFELIM, assisting in local workshops right through to international events. Mickael moved to Canada, working with several organizations, including intelliFLEX from 2016 to 2021. He then joined Amico Infrastructures, a leading integrated land development and construction company in Ontario, in 2021 as their 2030 Business Manager. Amico’s 2030 initiatives include: convergence of digital and physical infrastructure; construction safety and production by using AI, drone technology and 3D scanning/printing; dynamic roadways; smart energy and water management systems. His interests in Printed Electronics continue to flourish.

Providing brands a cost effective, sustainable communication platform to interact with shoppers and consumers while delivering performance metrics on physical assets like never before.

Christina Cvetan has over 20 years experience in packaging innovation as a former global packaging capability specialist for one of the world’s largest Consumer Package Goods companies. She has applied her expertise to develop strategic partnerships and technology innovation capability that can be applied globally across categories and customer channels. In 2018, Christina co-founded Ahead of the Curve Group, a business focused on innovative and progressive packaging solutions that Drive Performance in a Connected World.

Printed electronics represent a paradigm shift in the way we manufacture electronics, offering possibilities for more sustainable large-scale manufacturing in addition to new functionalities. Organic Semiconductors, which can be formulated as inks and then printed into various devices are poised to unlock even more potential applications in printed electronics. For large volume production runs of printed organic electronics technologies, it is expected that organic semiconductors will be manufactured on the kilogram to ton- scale. Thus, it is important that the large-scale synthesis of these materials is not only repeatable but also done in an environmentally responsible manner. This presentation will outline how Brilliant Matters Organic Electronics is contributing to the growing field of printed electronics by offering a scaleup platform for organic semiconductor materials for the printed electronics industry.

Dr. Arthur D Hendsbee is an organic materials scientist who graduated from the University of Calgary with a PhD in Chemistry in 2017, obtained under the supervision of Dr. Greg Welch. During his time at the University of Calgary, he developed a new class of non-fullerene acceptors with utility in optoelectronic devices and was awarded a United States Patent (9865819) for this work. Following his PhD, in 2019 Arthur completed an NSERC funded postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Yuning Li at the University of Waterloo where he studied organic optoelectronic device fabrication techniques. In September of 2019, Arthur was impressed by the vision of Brilliant Matters to provide industry with a reliable and scalable source of organic optoelectronic materials and joined as a Senior Scientist. Near the end of the 2020 year, he transitioned to his current role as Business Development Manager at Brilliant Matters.

Printed electronic devices, both flexible and rigid, have garnered significant interest and adoption across multiple market segments, including aerospace, medical, IoT, automotive, energy and consumer electronics. The technology is highly adaptable and compatible with low cost, automated mass production processes, thereby attracting both industrial and academic applications.
To maximally exploit the opportunities of this technology, the MiQro Innovation Collaborative Center (C2MI) in collaboration with École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS) has developed a hybrid printing solution using copper (Cu) inks that addresses both circuit density optimization and the integration of solderable, surface mount components. The hybrid approach leverages the respective strengths of two industrially pervasive printing processes, namely inkjet and screen-printing, on the same device. The inkjet technique enables fine lines and spacing of conductive traces with minimal ink consumption. Further, the technique does not rely on design-specific hard tooling, such as masks, thus allowing immediate correction or fine-tuning of device designs. On the other hand, the strength of screen-printing lies in its capability to cost-effectively print the thicker deposits necessary for reliable component connections. The use of a Cu ink renders these deposits compatible with the industry standard SAC305 solder used in high volume PCB surface mount assembly.
In this presentation, we first review key market trends and technology needs, then discuss the challenges specific to both the hybrid approach and the use of Cu ink materials. This includes ink compatibility, curing parameters and height control. Approaches taken by C2MI to address these challenges using its industry-compatible processes and equipment are then reviewed.

Christophe Sansregret is working at the Micro Innovation Collaboration Center (C2Mi) in process development in Printed electronics and advanced packaging. He focuses on flexible and printed electronics production through additive manufacturing. He is currently developing processes for the integration of surface mounted electronic components on flexible substrates using copper inks in collaboration mainly with the École des Technologies Supérieurs (ÉTS).

It is said that Cascades was born out of a form of sustainability. In the mid-1960s, long before the term was coined, Cascades decided to make the circular economy its business model by using old paper and cardboard, which were destined for landfills, as raw material for its hygiene and packaging products. Over the decades, the company has built an enviable reputation and has been named one of the 100 most responsible companies in the world by Corporate Knights.
Cascades has over 80 business units in North America, including 17 recovery centers and over 20 paper mills, making it an important stakeholder in both recovery and recycling. In recent years, packaging has evolved and become more complex, to meet both technical and marketing requirements. New components are being added or materials are being blended, bringing with it a host of challenges for the recyclability industry. The same issues are present for smart packaging. Therefore, it is important for the various players to work together to understand their respective realities. In this presentation, Cascades will explain the different criteria to consider in the design and end-of-life of packaging solutions to have eco-designed solutions. Recyclability is not a regulated term, but there are nevertheless several tests to know if your packaging is really recyclable (or not) and to protect you from misleading statements.

Marie-Eve Chapdelaine, Senior Sustainability Advisor at Cascade, has a decade of experience in the field of corporate sustainability. She has to her credit the strategic planning of three sustainability plans at Cascades, the positioning of the organization as one of the most responsible companies in the world, in addition to building the department that works to ensure that the company maintains its leadership position in this area.
She earned her first university degree in public communications at Université Laval. She continued her studies with a Master’s degree in Environment at the University of Sherbrooke. It is the combination of her knowledge and significant encounters that led her to turn to the world of sustainability, a subject that she teaches at the University of Sherbrooke. Recognized for her commitment and knowledge of waste management, she shares her knowledge on various blogs and acts as one of the ambassadors for the organization Mission 1000 tonnes, which is dedicated to removing waste from waterways and oceans.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are renewable nanomaterials obtained by strong acid hydrolysis of biomass. CNC surface charge and properties can be manipulated and controlled during the hydrolysis process, whereby a tunable measure of surface charge and active moieties can be engineered. The electric dipole moment of CNCs has been measured using transient electric birefringence, with a reported 4400 ± 400 D magnitude permanent dipole along the CNC long axis. Many natural materials, including wood, show piezoelectric properties by virtue of the non-centrosymmetric orientation of their molecular components. However, we will show how CNCs – unlike other natural materials – have unique, tunable, and long-lasting piezoelectric response, alone or in combination with other polymeric materials.
It was discovered that the piezoelectric response of CNC films strongly depended on the surface properties of CNCs and the ionic strength of the CNC dispersion. An increase in |d33| from 0.4 to 5.5 pC N-1 was observed by converting CNCs from Na-form to H-form, and this value was further improved to 82.6 pC N-1 by controlling the ionic strength of the CNC suspensions before evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). This d33 value was higher than that typically observed for PVDF, the most widely used piezoelectric polymer material, as well as PZT-polymer composites, and some piezoelectric ceramics, e.g., BiFeO3.
The presentation will detail the mechanisms responsible for these unique responses governed by controllably manipulating CNC surface characteristics, and how this knowledge can be applied to develop sustainable, cost-effective organic electronic materials for a variety of end-use engineering and biomedical applications.

Wadood Y. Hamad has expertise in materials science and nanotechnology and is currently Research Manager of the Transformation and Interfaces Group within the Bioproducts Innovation Centre of Excellence at FPInnovations. Also Adjunct Professor at the Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia since 2012, Dr Hamad has sought to provide a vision for advancing high-level R&D. His focus is on eco-sustainable design and the application of an inter-disciplinary scientific approach spanning the fields of materials science, physics, chemistry, and biology to develop useful bio-inspired materials and structures for engineering and medical applications. A pioneer in the research and development of renewable, nontoxic nanomaterials, particularly his ground-breaking research on the structure-property-process interrelations of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) processing. Dr Hamad was granted the Distinguished Nanoscientist Award and FiberLean Industries Prize by the Nanotechnology Division of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, TAPPI (USA) in June 2018. Wadood was elected fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and the Institute of Materials, Mining and Metallurgy (UK) in 2017. He is the recipient of other honours and awards, notably the Tech21 visiting professorship at Université Grenoble Alpes, France in 2018.
His work has led to over 27 families of patented applications and over 130 peer-reviewed book chapters, scientific papers, and authoritative reviews, as well as several monographs.

Flextrapower’s story and vision to sense the invisible and enable people to live healthier lives will be shared. From PhD research, to IP licensing, finding the product market fit and international growth during the COVID-era. As the team expands its reach to Vancouver, Canada, the presentation will also cover recent collaborative partnerships in the field of smart textile for preventative healthcare with the Hanoi University of Science and Technology in Vietnam, the Alfred University in New York and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver through MITACS, with support from Canada’s Trade Commissioners.

Dr. Linh Le has over 10 years of experience in entrepreneurship in deep tech start-ups. Linh currently is the founder of Flextrapower, the award-winning start-up with its mission to enable humans to live a healthier life. Completing his PhD (ABD) in material science at Stevens Institute of Technology, Linh worked with a team of investigators to publish multiple papers and conference proceedings. He currently holds eight patents worldwide and is an active investor, mentor and advisor to start-ups in the field. Prior to that, he received his MS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University and BS in Chemistry from the Vietnam National University.
Community services and development have always been Linh’s core passion. He is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of British Columbia, promoting entrepreneurship within the university. Linh is serving on multiple boards, including the NanoMedicines Innovation Network (NMIN) of Canada and the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. foundation, a B.C.-based agency that assists immigrants in Canada.

For more than 120 years, the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) of Global Affairs Canada has been helping companies navigate international markets. The TCS has more than 1,000 Trade Commissioners in over 160 cities across Canada and the world. The TCS helps Canadian companies navigate the complexities of the global market by connecting them to funding and support programs, international opportunities and our unparalleled network of Trade Commissioners. This presentation will help companies tap into the expertise and funding offered, understand the TCS advantage, and make exporting easier.

Vanessa Pukal has been Trade Commissioner at the Ontario Regional Office of the TCS since 2020. She helps Ontario companies in the ICT sector grow globally and is based in Toronto. Prior to joining Global Affairs Canada she worked for a number of government agencies and the Bank of Montreal. Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Glendon College, York University and a Master of Arts Degree in International Affairs from Carleton University.

Considering the megatrend of connectivity, the presentation will focus on Health Patch, Digital Healthcare and Smart Personal Hygiene. There will be a review of wound management, cardiovascular health monitoring as well as point of care devices.
The presentation looks at real-life application examples of Henkel’s ink materials usage, from moisture sensing to medical printed heater applications
Henkel’s comprehensive offering will be highlighted…

Thomas Sicilian supports Henkel’s Printed Electronics group as a Business Development Manager. He began his 11 years with the company as a Senior Application Engineer in Henkel’s Automotive and Electronics divisions, supporting metal pretreatment, underfills, encapsulants, and printed electronics materials. Since leaving the engineering group, he has held multiple sales roles in Henkel’s Electronics Materials division. Tom earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University. Originally from Michigan, he resides in Long Beach, CA, with his partner Courtney and their two dogs. Tom is an outdoor enthusiast who spends his free time rock climbing, trail running, and gardening.

The industrialization of printed electronics (PE) using continuous roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing techniques involves several technological challenges. To facilitate the key decision-making and accelerate the scale up of the first viable product, ICI is implementing an industrialization strategy based on focusing initial efforts on the most critical PE application factor. This presentation will demonstrate the application of this strategy to industrial production of smart time-temperature monitoring labels for cold chain traceability using R2R continuous production methods.

Dr. Ngoc Duc Trinh was awarded a Ph.D. in chemistry from University of Québec in Montréal in 2015. Afterwards, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Montréal. His graduate and postdoctoral studies focused on the development of high-performance electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In September 2017, he joined the Printability and Graphic Communications Institute (ICI) as a project manager. In August 2021 he became ICI’s Director for R&D. His expertise is applied in the manufacturing by roll-to-roll printing processes of fully printed batteries and printed electronics adapted to smart packaging. These devices make it possible to continuously provide additional information on the conditions of packaging throughout the supply chain to consumers. Within the multidisciplinary R&D team, he contributes to the industrialization of printed or hybrid flexible electronics using roll-to-roll printing processes, taking part in the technology transfer to industrial partners.

The internet of things and smart packaging together promise a world in which electronics are embedded within many everyday objects, offering benefits such as predictive maintenance, automatic reordering, real-time quality control, and improved matching of supply and demand. However, for such a vision to be realized without producing an unacceptable mountain of electronic waste, sustainable electronics are required.
Printed and hybrid electronics is extremely well suited to making electronics more sustainable, since the same size circuit uses far less material than a conventional PCB. Furthermore, there are many other strategies by which printed electronics can be made more sustainable. These include using biodegradable and/or bio-based substrates, using alternative conductive inks to silver, and printed batteries without and heavy metals. Other related approaches include integrating RFID tags to assist with recycling, and simplifying the product life cycle to reduce the overall environmental impact.
This presentation will cover the motivation for making sustainable printed electronics, examples of strategies being used, and a roadmap for their adoption. Remaining challenges around sustainable printed electronics, and associated innovation opportunities, will also be discussed.

Dr Matthew Dyson is a Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, based in London UK. He has an MRes and PhD in Physics from Imperial College London, in which he investigated the optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors. This was followed by post-doctoral research at Eindhoven Technical University in the Netherlands focused primarily on organic photodetectors. At IDTechEx Matthew utilizes this technical background to cover both emerging image sensor technologies and printed/flexible electronics.

A look at the primary and secondary market research that informed Jones Healthcare Group’s sustainability strategy development, and the current opportunities and challenges that JHG faces as a packaging solutions provider responding to increasing demand from the pharmaceutical industry for sustainability.

As Senior Manager, Corporate Sustainability at Jones Healthcare Group, Andrew Wong is currently leading programs for sustainable development in the areas of environment and society, with a focus on best meeting stakeholder needs and enhancing the long term economic resiliency of the organization.