Functional electronic inks as an enabler for the latest advancements in healthcare

2022 healthcare spending in the U.S. alone was $4.5 trillion and grew at an annual rate of 5.3% between 2017 and 2022. The sheer size of the market provides a major opportunity for suppliers at all points of the value chain, especially if they have enabling technology that facilitates the megatrends surrounding healthcare. These drivers include: A rapidly growing elderly population due to increased life expectancy. Technology advancement is growing at the rate of Moore’s law, driven by device miniaturization. The availability of huge data, driving the use of artificial intelligence and data analytics. An increasing focus on cost reduction. A tightening labor market, which has led to staff shortages, especially for nurses. A stringent regulatory environment, which slows approval of new products. An increased awareness of health and fitness by consumers, leading to wider adoption of wearables. These drivers have resulted in a rapid shift in point of care from the provider to ambulatory, home, and virtual care options. Also, the increasing availability of low-cost portable and wearable sensors facilitates the shift to remote points of care.For decades, functional electronic inks have proven to be a dependable, cost-efficient and energy efficient technology for highly reliable electronic circuitry and components, especially for medical devices. One of the main advantages over other processes is that functional electronic inks use an additive process, whereas the various conductor, resistor, and dielectric pastes are screen-printed or deposited by other means, then cured or fired in succession to form the circuit or electrode. This reduces waste. Also, most functional electronic inks have been developed without toxic substances subject and are RoHS and REACH compliant. Screens are relatively easy to manufacture and allow for flexibility in circuit design. Screen printing technology is capable of feature sizes from hundreds of microns down to 30 microns or less. The continuing drive to print smaller and thinner features enables device miniaturization. Functional electronic inks may be tailored for new form factors such as 3D, flexible, and stretchable substrates. These unique advantages make functional electronic inks the technology of choice for medical device electronics and medical sensors.In this presentation, we will summarize how functional electronic inks enable current and future devices that directly address the trends in the healthcare industry. Heraeus Electronics, with its extensive portfolio of functional electronic inks and pastes and matched systems is in a prime position to support these advancements.