Jack Kenny, Editor08.05.09
Slowly, but deliberately and consistently, manufacturers turn to face the new technologies. In many industries throughout the world, they are asking themselves whether printed electronics has a place in their factories, whether they have a place in the PE industry.
The migration is happening in the membrane switch industry, having taken root several years back. Interest in printed electronics has evolved to actual practice in the field as more switch producers adopt new manufacturing methods, and more suppliers explore the boundaries of the technology.
The SGIA – Specialty Graphics Imaging Association – an industry organization based in Fairfax, VA, USA, represents the interests of many segments of the graphics business, among them those who produce membrane switches. In the early 1990s, SGIA launched the Membrane Switch Symposium, which has became an annual industry event, sponsored by the Membrane Switch and Printed Electronics Council. “It started out rather small, mainly as roundtable discussions among the membrane switch producers,” says Ray Greenwood, SGIA’s technical service associate. “It has grown into an event with an all-day curriculum and a mini-trade show atmosphere, with anywhere from 18 to 25 exhibitors. The presentations are by the producers and the manufacturers (raw materials suppliers) pertaining to membrane switch production.” The presentations, he adds, “are really nuts and bolts oriented, process oriented.”
Over the past three years, and particularly the last two, the interests of the participants and the subject matter at the symposia have expanded, Greenwood says. “Members have branched out into photovoltaics and RFID. The symposiums now attract people who do just those things, and also the touchscreen producers who are moving into those areas. We’re seeing a crossover.”
Today, the association is preparing for the 2010 Printed Electronics and Membrane Switch Symposium, to be held May 18-20 in Phoenix. Printed electronics and membrane switch professionals are encouraged to submit abstracts on such topics as printed electronics high-speed applications, solar and photovoltaic product manufacturing, membrane switch developments, medical device manufacturing, and conductive inks and coatings. Topics, says Greenwood, are not limited to these.
“The SGIA Symposium represents the only US venue for the printed electronics and membrane switch community to share ideas and test out the newest innovations, primarily from the point of view of the producer,” Greenwood adds. “We’re looking for industry leaders to present the latest advancements in a variety of areas.”
The 2009 symposium, held in Overland Park, KS, USA, attracted about 250 attendees, a number shy of the group’s peak of 300, but understandable in a difficult economy. About 40 percent of the presentations addressed printed electronics, the majority focused on membrane switches. Next year’s event, says Greenwood, will be about 50-50.
The council that runs the symposium, he adds, is aware “that a chunk of our producers are starting to move into the edges of this production. They appreciate the printed electronics focus. There is a small group of classic membrane switch producers who require a focus on traditional manufacturing and technology.”
The Kansas symposium featured several in-depth presentations by companies that are active in the printed electronics field today, including Mark Andy, Soligie, Crosslink, and Add-Vision.
Kevin Manes, manager of R&D at Mark Andy – a prominent manufacturer of flexographic printing and converting equipment – spoke about printing functional circuits. He evaluated the issues involved in printing conductive functional inks in flexographic, roll-to-roll and high-speed production environments, exploring a variety of ink formulations, inking systems, drying/curing, imaging, tooling, inline validation, and many other factors.
The drivers for printed electronics, Manes pointed out, are many: they involve large area electronics, flexible materials, integrated assemblies; they are low cost, conformable, disposable, lightweight, small and thin, and have the capability for high runs and short-run economics; processing temperatures are low; they are sustainable, and add value, margin and diversification to the manufacturer’s portfolio.
David Sime, director of technology transfer at Soligie, a manufacturer of printed electronics products, gave a talk about high-volume PE in practice. “The art of membrane switch manufacture has provided a foundation for the emerging industry of printed electronics,” Sime said. “This now makes it possible to fill the gap that existed between individual printed technologies or devices, and the integration into applications in which the proper value of these technologies can be realized.”
In practice, Sime said, PE requires integration of components and materials, along with a wide range of production capabilities. These include expertise in printing conductive materials and carbon inks, working with numerous and varied substrates, dielectric materials, adhesives and laminations, and different production processes. It requires precision in development of appropriate specifications, control of materials and stability, and reliability; testing and validation, and process flow.
Current challenges, Sime added, lie in the cost of the processes and products, the compatibility of process parameters, portraying printing as a rigorous process and selling it as such, developing tools for a statistical approach to validation and selling that idea, and establishing the markets that can handle the potential volumes.
Eric Bruton, senior research chemist at Crosslink, a developer of electroluminescent (EL) technologies, spoke in detail about the research the company performed for the US military in developing an EL lamp system for soft-walled shelters. The company created an ultra-flexible, textile-based EL system called SuperFlex, which is incorporated directly into military tents and other structures. SuperFlex lamps are fabricated by screen printing several functional layers and are then pre-installed into tents or tent liners, and collapsed and packed with the tents for storage, enabling faster deployment and teardown times.
The company is seeking additional partners to expand the market and geographic access to the technology. The production process is being scaled up to efficiently produce large volumes of high quality systems. In addition, alternative and improved materials of construction, including substrate and ink components, are continuously tested to enable further improvements.
For more information about 2010 Printed Electronics and Membrane Switch Symposium speaking opportunities, contact Ray Greenwood at [email protected] or 703-359-1316.
To sign up to be notified when Symposium event details are available, go to SGIA.org, Keyword: Electronics.
The migration is happening in the membrane switch industry, having taken root several years back. Interest in printed electronics has evolved to actual practice in the field as more switch producers adopt new manufacturing methods, and more suppliers explore the boundaries of the technology.
Over the past three years, and particularly the last two, the interests of the participants and the subject matter at the symposia have expanded, Greenwood says. “Members have branched out into photovoltaics and RFID. The symposiums now attract people who do just those things, and also the touchscreen producers who are moving into those areas. We’re seeing a crossover.”
Today, the association is preparing for the 2010 Printed Electronics and Membrane Switch Symposium, to be held May 18-20 in Phoenix. Printed electronics and membrane switch professionals are encouraged to submit abstracts on such topics as printed electronics high-speed applications, solar and photovoltaic product manufacturing, membrane switch developments, medical device manufacturing, and conductive inks and coatings. Topics, says Greenwood, are not limited to these.
“The SGIA Symposium represents the only US venue for the printed electronics and membrane switch community to share ideas and test out the newest innovations, primarily from the point of view of the producer,” Greenwood adds. “We’re looking for industry leaders to present the latest advancements in a variety of areas.”
The 2009 symposium, held in Overland Park, KS, USA, attracted about 250 attendees, a number shy of the group’s peak of 300, but understandable in a difficult economy. About 40 percent of the presentations addressed printed electronics, the majority focused on membrane switches. Next year’s event, says Greenwood, will be about 50-50.
The council that runs the symposium, he adds, is aware “that a chunk of our producers are starting to move into the edges of this production. They appreciate the printed electronics focus. There is a small group of classic membrane switch producers who require a focus on traditional manufacturing and technology.”
The Kansas symposium featured several in-depth presentations by companies that are active in the printed electronics field today, including Mark Andy, Soligie, Crosslink, and Add-Vision.
Kevin Manes, manager of R&D at Mark Andy – a prominent manufacturer of flexographic printing and converting equipment – spoke about printing functional circuits. He evaluated the issues involved in printing conductive functional inks in flexographic, roll-to-roll and high-speed production environments, exploring a variety of ink formulations, inking systems, drying/curing, imaging, tooling, inline validation, and many other factors.
The drivers for printed electronics, Manes pointed out, are many: they involve large area electronics, flexible materials, integrated assemblies; they are low cost, conformable, disposable, lightweight, small and thin, and have the capability for high runs and short-run economics; processing temperatures are low; they are sustainable, and add value, margin and diversification to the manufacturer’s portfolio.
David Sime, director of technology transfer at Soligie, a manufacturer of printed electronics products, gave a talk about high-volume PE in practice. “The art of membrane switch manufacture has provided a foundation for the emerging industry of printed electronics,” Sime said. “This now makes it possible to fill the gap that existed between individual printed technologies or devices, and the integration into applications in which the proper value of these technologies can be realized.”
In practice, Sime said, PE requires integration of components and materials, along with a wide range of production capabilities. These include expertise in printing conductive materials and carbon inks, working with numerous and varied substrates, dielectric materials, adhesives and laminations, and different production processes. It requires precision in development of appropriate specifications, control of materials and stability, and reliability; testing and validation, and process flow.
Current challenges, Sime added, lie in the cost of the processes and products, the compatibility of process parameters, portraying printing as a rigorous process and selling it as such, developing tools for a statistical approach to validation and selling that idea, and establishing the markets that can handle the potential volumes.
Eric Bruton, senior research chemist at Crosslink, a developer of electroluminescent (EL) technologies, spoke in detail about the research the company performed for the US military in developing an EL lamp system for soft-walled shelters. The company created an ultra-flexible, textile-based EL system called SuperFlex, which is incorporated directly into military tents and other structures. SuperFlex lamps are fabricated by screen printing several functional layers and are then pre-installed into tents or tent liners, and collapsed and packed with the tents for storage, enabling faster deployment and teardown times.
The company is seeking additional partners to expand the market and geographic access to the technology. The production process is being scaled up to efficiently produce large volumes of high quality systems. In addition, alternative and improved materials of construction, including substrate and ink components, are continuously tested to enable further improvements.
For more information about 2010 Printed Electronics and Membrane Switch Symposium speaking opportunities, contact Ray Greenwood at [email protected] or 703-359-1316.
To sign up to be notified when Symposium event details are available, go to SGIA.org, Keyword: Electronics.