Printed electronics: why is it difficult to leave the ‘trough of disillusionment’?

Marquardt is a mechatronic specialist for almost a century now. Beginning with the production of electrical switches, Marquardt became a serious international automotive supplier for control elements, vehicle access and driver authorization, as well as battery management systems. Other areas Marquardt supplies sensors and switches to are the white goods and power tool market, and the off road and agriculture sector. Do printed electronics enable new applications or is it just about cost optimization? At Marquardt, printed electronics are in focus since around ten years, although the first application dates back to the early 2000s. In this speech, you will get an overview about the developments and applications of printed electronics in the past years at Marquardt. Nevertheless, Marquardt uses printed electronics only to a very limited extent, so where do we see opportunities and which obstacles do we have to overcome to enter the ‘slope of enlightenment’ and to reach the ‘plateau of productivity’?