David Savastano, Editor08.24.11
The potential usage of printed electronics spans a wide range of fields, from smart cards and health care to solar cells and flexible displays. With such a wide range of industries that can potentially utilize low cost, mass produced printed electronics systems, companies small and large alike are seeing how they can compete in the market.
For start-ups, focusing on a project can allow a new product to grow. Large multinationals have the ability to take a product to that next level. As a result, the printed electronics market is now seeing an increased number of partnerships between start-ups and major international corporations. This comes in many forms, whether it is investing capital or through M&A activities.
Having developed leading positions in the fields of touch screens, graphic arts and photovoltaics, 3M sees opportunities in the printed electronics space. Through 3M New Ventures, its corporate venture capital arm, 3M is developing partnerships with promising start-ups. Already, 3M New Ventures has identified and backed more than 15 promising start-ups, including Printechnologics GmbH, which uses conventional printing methods to create electronic features on paper or foil, and txtr GmbH, an eReading technology specialist.
Thomas Andrae, Director, 3M New Ventures, noted that his team is always looking for companies that have promising technologies that could benefit from 3M’s expertise and capabilities.
“We make minority investments in young start-up companies that have developed initial IP that is of future interest to 3M,” Andrae said. “We identify companies whose ideas have the potential to reach commercial viability within the next five years. We provide funding as well as core capabilities, including our wide range of technology expertise protecting IP, and using our global marketing and sales operations. We have a very good globally distributed team that picks up on opportunities quickly.”
Andrae noted that printed electronics is a logical field for 3M, which has decades of experience in the field; for example, 3M has been producing conductive copper wiring onto flexible substrates for inkjet printers years ago. Companies such as Printechnologics and txtr are a logical fit, and Andrae discussed the opportunities presented by Printechnologics and its AirCode technology.
“With AirCode, Printechnologics is using common printing machinery to print environmentally friendly conductive structures onto paper,” Andrae said. “This is a process that is available worldwide that offers high precision at low cost. Printechnologics is using its AirCode paper cards as a key card on smart phones with capacitive multi-touch displays working as a reading device, such as the Apple iPhone, thereby enabling a potential NFC replacement without the need of NFC hardware. Because it is low cost, there are opportunities in areas ranging from ticketing, games, marketing and promotional activities, all at substantially low cost.
“There is a very broad range of opportunities we have opened by investing in Printechnologics,” Andrae continued. “By connecting Printechnologics to our company, we have worked on co-developing new IP that is enriched by our technology. We are also using our weight in the marketplace to underline the importance of this new technology. We go with them to consumer product goods companies to show what AirCode can do for their products, with the assurance that 3M’s R&D and sales team will also back this technology.”
Andrae said the partnership between 3M and Printechnologics is already paying off nicely. “A number of contracts have already been signed, and the initial applications will be available in fourth quarter of 2011,” he noted.
txtr is another business where 3M can combine its expertise with an innovative company in a field where 3M has a strong position.
“txtr specializes in software stacks and cloud functions for eReaders,” Andrae said. “It allows readers to pull electronic content from the bookstore to their mobile device, and mark up the material to send to another person. The 3M Library Systems business unit can benefit from txtr’s technology, and is already working with libraries to send materials to mobile devices.”
Health care is another area where txtr could find a strong niche. Through txtr’s cloud technology, Andrae said that doctors can deliver information on patients.
Andrae said that 3M New Ventures is currently discussing a number of possibilities in the field of renewable energy, and sees the printed electronics space as very promising.
“We see printed electronics as a very important space,” Andrae concluded. “We see more and more opportunities coming, such as mass producing OLEDs, solar cells and metallic structures, replacing inefficient processes such as etching. We see this area as very important, and once production issues are overcome, printed electronics can be very prominent.”
Having developed leading positions in the fields of touch screens, graphic arts and photovoltaics, 3M sees opportunities in the printed electronics space. Through 3M New Ventures, its corporate venture capital arm, 3M is developing partnerships with promising start-ups. Already, 3M New Ventures has identified and backed more than 15 promising start-ups, including Printechnologics GmbH, which uses conventional printing methods to create electronic features on paper or foil, and txtr GmbH, an eReading technology specialist.
Thomas Andrae, Director, 3M New Ventures, noted that his team is always looking for companies that have promising technologies that could benefit from 3M’s expertise and capabilities.
“We make minority investments in young start-up companies that have developed initial IP that is of future interest to 3M,” Andrae said. “We identify companies whose ideas have the potential to reach commercial viability within the next five years. We provide funding as well as core capabilities, including our wide range of technology expertise protecting IP, and using our global marketing and sales operations. We have a very good globally distributed team that picks up on opportunities quickly.”
Andrae noted that printed electronics is a logical field for 3M, which has decades of experience in the field; for example, 3M has been producing conductive copper wiring onto flexible substrates for inkjet printers years ago. Companies such as Printechnologics and txtr are a logical fit, and Andrae discussed the opportunities presented by Printechnologics and its AirCode technology.
“With AirCode, Printechnologics is using common printing machinery to print environmentally friendly conductive structures onto paper,” Andrae said. “This is a process that is available worldwide that offers high precision at low cost. Printechnologics is using its AirCode paper cards as a key card on smart phones with capacitive multi-touch displays working as a reading device, such as the Apple iPhone, thereby enabling a potential NFC replacement without the need of NFC hardware. Because it is low cost, there are opportunities in areas ranging from ticketing, games, marketing and promotional activities, all at substantially low cost.
“There is a very broad range of opportunities we have opened by investing in Printechnologics,” Andrae continued. “By connecting Printechnologics to our company, we have worked on co-developing new IP that is enriched by our technology. We are also using our weight in the marketplace to underline the importance of this new technology. We go with them to consumer product goods companies to show what AirCode can do for their products, with the assurance that 3M’s R&D and sales team will also back this technology.”
Andrae said the partnership between 3M and Printechnologics is already paying off nicely. “A number of contracts have already been signed, and the initial applications will be available in fourth quarter of 2011,” he noted.
txtr is another business where 3M can combine its expertise with an innovative company in a field where 3M has a strong position.
“txtr specializes in software stacks and cloud functions for eReaders,” Andrae said. “It allows readers to pull electronic content from the bookstore to their mobile device, and mark up the material to send to another person. The 3M Library Systems business unit can benefit from txtr’s technology, and is already working with libraries to send materials to mobile devices.”
Health care is another area where txtr could find a strong niche. Through txtr’s cloud technology, Andrae said that doctors can deliver information on patients.
Andrae said that 3M New Ventures is currently discussing a number of possibilities in the field of renewable energy, and sees the printed electronics space as very promising.
“We see printed electronics as a very important space,” Andrae concluded. “We see more and more opportunities coming, such as mass producing OLEDs, solar cells and metallic structures, replacing inefficient processes such as etching. We see this area as very important, and once production issues are overcome, printed electronics can be very prominent.”