Kenneth Church | nScrypt: Is comparing additive printed electronics to traditional PCBs a fundamental engineering mistake?
11:15 - 12:54
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Summary of the clip:
Is comparing additive printed electronics to traditional PCBs a fundamental engineering mistake?
The additive manufacturing of electronics (AME) industry frequently falls into the trap of trying to replicate traditional printed circuit boards (PCBs). However, evaluating printed circuits by bulk-copper PCB standards is a false equivalency. Printed conductive inks are inherently more resistive than subtractive bulk copper, leading legacy PCB designers to mischaracterize additive electronics as functionally inferior.
To unlock the true value of AME, the industry must establish a completely new design paradigm that leverages its unique physical advantages. Rather than competing on raw conductivity, additive electronics excel through spatial freedom, waste elimination, and multi-material integration. These capabilities allow engineers to print circuits inside structural elements, utilizing the third dimension to bypass traditional routing constraints.
By shifting the focus from mimicking legacy flat boards to designing truly 3D structural electronics, engineers can embed complex circuits directly into functional enclosures. Recognizing this distinction is essential for developing standardized design rules that capitalize on additive manufacturing's true strengths.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Why evaluating additive printed electronics against bulk-copper PCB standards is a flawed methodology.
* The inherent trade-offs between highly conductive bulk copper and more resistive printed silver inks.
* How to establish a new 3D design paradigm that leverages spatial freedom and multi-material integration.
π **Clip Abstract** This clip addresses the industry misconception of comparing additive printed electronics directly to subtractive, copper-clad PCBs. It advocates for a new structural design standard that capitalizes on multi-material 3D routing rather than mimicking planar boards.
#AdditiveManufacturingOfElectronics, #StructuralElectronics, #ConductiveInks, #3DPrintedElectronics, #PrintedElectronics, #FlexibleElectronics
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05:25 - 06:44
Can printed 3D micro-interconnects finally render traditional wire bonding obsolete on non-flat surfaces?
Can printed 3D micro-interconnects finally render traditional wire bonding obsolete on non-flat surfaces?
Traditional wire bonding remains a remarkably fast process, yet it is fundamentally limited when transitioning from flat PCBs to complex, three-dimensional stacked chip structures. The physical looping of bond wires creates significant parasitics and geometric constraints that fail when attempting to stack dies in non-planar configurations. Additive printed electronics offer an elegant alternative by depositing conformal dielectrics and conductive traces directly over chip steps.
To demonstrate this capability, researchers printed 20-micron conductive traces with 40-micron pads onto a 300-micron diameter cylindrical fiber. This process was achieved at an impressive translation speed of 800 millimeters per second over a length of one meter, proving that high-speed direct-write systems can scale beyond planar substrates. By replacing loose, looping wires with printed, surface-conformal traces, engineers can dramatically reduce parasitic inductance.
The shift from traditional wire bonding to conformal printed interconnects opens up new horizons for space-constrained and non-flat system architectures. Leveraging direct digital manufacturing enables the deposition of precise, layered interfaces that survive harsh environments where dangling wire bonds would mechanically fail.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Why conventional wire bonding fails in complex 3D chip-stacking applications due to geometric looping and inductance.
* Technical parameters of printing 20-micron traces on a 300-micron fiber at 800 mm/s.
* The strategic shift to surface-conformal direct-write dielectrics and conductors for non-planar systems.
π **Clip Abstract** This clip analyzes the physical limitations of high-speed wire bonding when applied to non-planar and stacked-die architectures. It showcases how direct-write printing achieves conformal 20-micron traces on ultra-fine 3D structures at 800 mm/s.
#ConformalInterconnects, #DirectWritePrinting, #3DMicroInterconnects, #NonPlanarPackaging, #AdditiveElectronics, #AdvancedPackaging
06:52 - 08:22
Why are high-performance thermoplastics poised to replace FR4 in next-generation 35 GHz RF applications?
Can printed electronics on advanced thermoplastics truly outperform traditional FR4 substrates in high-frequency RF applications?
While FR4 has long been the industry standard for rigid printed circuit boards, embedding electronic circuitry directly within advanced thermoplastics offers a compelling alternative. Certain structural thermoplastics exhibit superior dielectric properties and lower loss tangents compared to FR4, making them highly attractive for high-frequency RF applications. However, transitioning to these polymers requires overcoming significant material science hurdles, particularly in achieving robust adhesion between the printed conductive traces and the polymer substrate.
To address these adhesion challenges, material compatibility must be engineered at the molecular level. While copper is cost-effective as a bulk material, its susceptibility to oxidation introduces complex, expensive post-processing steps in printed electronics. Consequently, silver remains the preferred conductive ink, but ensuring its long-term adhesion to thermoplastic surfaces requires specialized material formulation. Collaborative chemistry has now enabled reliable silver metallization on complex, non-planar geometries, including cylindrical structures with diameters as small as 40 millimeters.
This precise material integration enables the fabrication of highly complex, multi-layered RF systems. By successfully printing seven functional RF layers, developers can now produce fully integrated phased array antennas operating at high-frequency bands such as 35 gigahertz. These printed structures incorporate active semiconductor devices directly beneath individual patch elements, demonstrating that additive electronics can meet the rigorous signal integrity demands of millimeter-wave communication.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Why specific thermoplastics outperform FR4 in high-frequency RF applications.
* The material compatibility and oxidation challenges of copper versus silver inks.
* How multi-layered, active phased array antennas are printed on curved surfaces.
π **Clip Abstract** The speaker discusses the advantages of printing electronics on thermoplastics over traditional FR4, highlighting the material compatibility and adhesion challenges of printing silver on polymer substrates. He demonstrates these concepts through a 40-millimeter cylindrical print and a seven-layer active phased array antenna operating at 35 gigahertz.
π€ Speaker: Kenneth Church
π’ Company: nScrypt
π
Event: The Future of Electronics RESHAPED 2023 Berlin
π Location: Estrel Congress Centre, Berlin, Germany, Europe
π Learn more at the next TechBlick event: https://www.techblick.com
#HighPerformanceThermoplastics, #ConformalAntennas, #MillimeterWaveRF, #AdditiveElectronics, #DefenseElectronics, #RuggedElectronics