Expanding the boundaries of printed electronics for volume manufacturing of PCB-replacements

The current printed circuit board (PCB) technologies are typically subtractive, and score low on sustainability metrics. Furthermore, they are limited in their suitability for roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing, which is a key requirement for the IoT revolution currently taking place. Printed electronics is seen as a key enabler for IoT devices, encompassing applications such as wearables, logistics track-and-trace, structural health monitoring, smart buildings, etc. One of the key limitations in today's printed electronics is the lack of a high-throughput and robust vertical interconnect access (VIA) production process. As a consequence, the complexity of circuitry enabled by printed electronics lags considerably in comparison with circuitry produced through traditional lithography (etching) techniques. This is one of the primary reasons why double-sided printed electronics are also rare.

TracXon has developed and patented a high-speed, R2R-compatible VIA production process that could enable printed electronics to replace traditional PCBs for, e.g., IoT applications. TracXon is building what is likely the first dedicated VIA filling machine that is compatible with existing R2R as well as S2S printing lines in the industry. The main objective behind this development is to enable double-sided and high-density printed electronics, thereby closing the gap with traditional PCB techniques in terms of complexity of the circuitry.