TechBlick The Future of Electronics RESHAPED - Why You Should Join Us
We have prepared a world-class agenda for you, featuring over 70 superb invited talks from around the world, 12 industry- or expert-led masterclasses, 4 tours, and over 80 onsite exhibitors.
In this article series, we highlight various talks in the program, outlining the technologies and applications that will be showcased.
In this article, we discuss the theme of volume manufacturing with printed electronics highlighting talks, masterclasses and tours from the likes of Flexoo, Avery Dennison Smartrac, SPGPrints, db-Matik, Beckermus Technologies, Printed Electronics Limited, Voltera, Tracxon, ImageXpert, Fraunhofer IZM, Quantica, Inuru, ScreenTec, etc
In a previous article, we have already highlighted some of the talks focused on wearable, bio, and/or medical sensors as well as on digital and 3D additive electronics.
In future articles, we will highlight more contributions on this theme as well as other key themes such as sustainable electronics, materials innovations, additive and 3D electronics, wearables and electronic textiles, medical electronics, photovoltaics, packaging, novel materials, lighting applications, etc. Stay tuned!
Flexoo will outline their ability to offer mass customization as well as mass production with a specific focus on smart sensors and labels. Flexoo - a spin-off from InnovationLab GmbH with the direct acquisition of Heidelberg Printed Electronics GmbH - has created unique capabilities, covering all scales of R2R production from development to prototyping, to small volume production, to extremely large volume. In this talk, you can learn how this one-stop-shop approach enables the development and production of products with printed sensors, printed circuits, printed antennas, printed heaters, and beyond.
SPGPrints will take you through the journey of scaling up Printed Electronics production along the 3 C’s of de-risking industrialized production using real-life customer cases: Cost, Capacity, and Certainty. They will also cover critical technical and application-design considerations for mass production, including how to balance pattern design, inks, substrates, and production methods. Furthermore, they will discuss how rotary screen printing enables cost-effective and high-throughput manufacturing with superb resolution and excellent thickness control, and they will offer a detailed cost comparison of flat versus rotary screen printing.
Avery Dennison Smartrac will outline their developments in green printing in the digital landscape, showing how their approach can scale to mass production. This is an excellent development, combining the long-standing expertise of Avery Dennison Smartrac in R2R production of hybrid electronics with green additive manufacturing techniques.
Beckermus Technologies will outline the key challenges of interconnections between chips and flex substrates, especially in R2R hybrid electronic manufacturing. This is a critical technological step in enabling roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics. Beckermus Technologies will offer insights based on its years of real-time FHE manufacturing experience, discussing different interconnect material and process technologies.
Voltera will present the latest developments using their unique digital printer, focusing on the use case of multi-layered printed battery applications. While this machine is not a volume manufacturing machine, it could play an important role in accelerating the design-to-fabrication process. This is because it enables digital and software-controlled development and prototyping of complex multilayer devices using high-viscosity pastes, which could then be transitioned directly to mass production techniques like screen printing. This is significant because many other digital prototyping techniques rely on inkjet and are thus limited to low-viscosity inks with nanomaterials that cannot be screen printed.
Printed Electronics Limited (PEL) will share their unique experiences in prototyping and small production (10 pcs to 2500 pcs) across the resolution spectrum. PEL’s unique capabilities cover the entire resolution spectrum from 1 µm to 1 mm. Their capabilities include superfine inkjet (SIJ), aerosol, screen printing, inkjet, and viscous jet deposition. Even with their screen printers (Microtec printers), they can achieve down to 30 µm linewidths with <15 µm print-to-print accuracy. Furthermore, they can print between 2-14 layers per device, including through-hole printing.
db-Matik will present their capabilities, outlining their full turnkey solutions for electronic manufacturing on flexible substrates. This includes printing as well as assembly lines, covering circuit printing as well as component placement on films. Additionally, their solutions offer testing as well as singulation. They are an excellent partner for anyone looking to set up or expand a printed electronics production line.
Expert-Led Masterclasses
The event also includes fantastic masterclasses dedicated to manufacturing.
ScreenTec will discuss how to manufacture wearable sensors. ScreenTec is a well-established printing house with deep expertise and experience in wearable sensor manufacturing.
Beckermus Technologies will hold a class on interconnect technologies for flexible hybrid electronics, covering key technologies such as various solders and conductive adhesives. This is a must-attend class for anyone interested in placing components onto films in flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing.
ImageXpert will hold a class showing how to optimize an inkjet printing process for electronic or functional manufacturing. This is a must-attend class for anyone wishing to develop and/or manufacture with inkjet printing.
TracXon will discuss roll-to-roll (R2R) flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing, covering all steps from R2R printing to R2R assembly and testing. TracXon has robust expertise here, given their own work with R2R screen printing, R2R sintering/curing, and assembly.
Printed Electronics Ltd will hold a class covering all digital additive electronics manufacturing tools, from inkjet to aerosol to EHD printing and dispensing, and beyond. This is an excellent overview class for those wishing to apply digital methods to develop or manufacture electronics.
Tours
We also have several tours related to the theme of manufacturing.
Fraunhofer IZM: This is an extremely popular tour, showcasing Fraunhofer IZM’s deep and wide capabilities and expertise in all aspects of advanced PCB and assembly technology, as well as in hybrid soft electronics, integrating electronics with soft substrates such as textiles.
Inuru: This is a unique tour showcasing the world’s first and only printed OLED lighting factory. This is possibly the only facility worldwide dedicated to inkjet printing of thin and flexible OLED lighting.
Quantica GmbH: Here, you can see the workshop and machinery of Quantica, who offers jetting heads for high-viscosity digital printing of electronics. This is a much-needed technology that promises to break the limits of inkjet printing, making digital functional printing finally a versatile production method.
Exhibition
Of course, the exhibition is the key place where you can find partners across the entire value chain, including equipment manufacturers, ink and paste formulators, printing houses, and more. This is the place to visit if you intend to develop, prototype, or manufacture with printed and/or flexible hybrid electronics.
There will be over 80 exhibitors from around the world. You can see the floor plan and learn about the exhibitors here.
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