Manufacturing Using High-Resolution Flexography

Many everyday products contain mass produced printed electronic components. Each mass-produced printed component is a replicate of the last, making their manufacture well suited for “analog” print manufacturing, such as flexography. The use of high-resolution printing enables smaller individual features and finer increments in size - enhancing the ability to print high-fidelity patterns with very complex shapes. These benefits, among others, enable improved form, fit, and function for the user of products manufactured using these techniques.
In this talk an overview of the benefits of high-resolution, additive manufacturing will set the stage for a more in-depth investigation of high-resolution flexography. The focus will then turn to addressing the challenges of making high-resolution patterns that are truly functional. A technical assessment of using print (or print-enabled) manufacturing to get sufficient material (z) height for function while maintaining the small x-y features will be presented. Examples will be shared from both lab-scale and production scale evaluations.