David Savastano, Editor09.26.17
Ever since Dr. Terry Brewer discovered anti-reflective coatings in 1981, Brewer Science has been a global leader in developing and manufacturing advanced materials. Dr. Brewer’s discovery resulted in a revolution in the global microelectronics industry and helped empower today’s high-speed, lightweight electronic devices.
Headquartered in Rolla, MO, and with locations worldwide, Brewer Science is best known for designing and manufacturing the cutting-edge microdevices used in electronics such as tablet computers, smartphones, digital cameras, televisions, and LED lighting.
Flexible and printed electronics is another intriguing area where Brewer Science is utilizing its expertise. Dominic Miranda, business development manager for Brewer Science, said that Brewer Science sees plenty of opportunities ahead for flexible and printed electronics in the coming years
“Brewer Science is very excited about printed electronics,” added Miranda. “We see flexible and printed electronics as a high growth opportunity within the next five to ten years, and we’ve made significant investments to be able to supply and service this industry.”
Brewer Science’s first entry in the printed electronics field was through carbon nanotube inks, and the company has taken its knowledge into printed sensors.
“From our early efforts in developing some of the industry’s first electronics-grade carbon nanotube inks, Brewer Science was able to translate the inherent properties of these solutions into lightning-fast, highly sensitive printed sensors,” said Miranda. “Today, Brewer Science is integrating our unique sensor architecture into fully integrated electronic devices that capitalize on the strengths of our sensor technology.”
Miranda said that with its foundation and expertise in material science, Brewer Science occupies a unique position in the printed and flexible electronics ecosystem.
“We manufacture the materials that make up the active layers of our sensor technology,” Miranda said. “This level of control over our supply chain gives Brewer Science the ability to provide our customers unrivaled support and service. From the design end, our material science expertise allows us to modify material properties to customize sensor functionality for our customers. No other sensor or device maker provides this level of expertise.”
Miranda said that printing sensors have opened doors to new possibilities, as the ability to quickly turn around these projects is a huge advantage.
“Taking advantage of the intrinsic customizability of printing technology and focusing on the flexibility in form and function of our sensors opens new possibilities for integrating sensing technology into applications that are prohibitively complicated or simply not possible with conventional sensors,” he pointed out.
“As an example, Brewer Science is producing custom sensor arrays that simplify the integration of multiple sensors into a single device,” Miranda noted. “Printing these arrays has enabled us to take the customer’s design from idea to working prototype in a matter of weeks. Additionally, as we work closely with the customer in the design and development phase, we have been able to identify and implement changes that improve device performance. Utilizing printing technology allows us to easily apply these changes without costly capital equipment expenditures while maintaining the fundamental sensor performance.”
Flexibility is another key, as conformable sensors can be adapted to non-flat surfaces.
“Flexibility has afforded sensor integration into areas where the rigid design of conventional sensors is not easily adapted,” he said. “Brewer Science has been able to apply our flexible sensors to conform to non-flat surfaces for more direct and more accurate sensing. Our flexible sensors have been printed onto flexible adhesive substrates and applied to curved surfaces for direct contact to the target.”
As for the best markets for flexible and printed electronics, Miranda said that the potential market for printed and flexible electronics is as broad as the electronics industry itself, and therein also lies the challenge.
“The best opportunities are in the areas where flexible and printed electronics provide a distinct advantage over existing technologies,” he noted. “Specifically, markets for wearable electronic devices like sports and fitness, medical/healthcare, and infotainment, where printed electronics flexibility provides unique form factors and performance solutions. These markets represent the staging ground for broader adoption of printed electronics into the electronics industry.”
Today, Brewer Science is producing flex sensors, moisture sensors and thermistor, the latter of which detects and responds to slight changes in temperature. The company is also customizing projects for new applications.
“While we cannot talk about specific projects and/or customers we’re working with right now, we have active collaborative projects in many areas,” Miranda reported, including industrial applications for asset/equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance system, wireless environmental monitoring platforms with cloud-based data management and AR/VR sensor arrays.
“Technical solutions are advancing rapidly and practical applications in areas that can benefit from the unique characteristics of printed electronics devices are becoming more evident,” Miranda concluded. “Brewer Science builds on our strength as a technology innovator. In printed electronics, we see a place where our innovation will influence the direction of technology development and how it can benefit people.”
Headquartered in Rolla, MO, and with locations worldwide, Brewer Science is best known for designing and manufacturing the cutting-edge microdevices used in electronics such as tablet computers, smartphones, digital cameras, televisions, and LED lighting.
Flexible and printed electronics is another intriguing area where Brewer Science is utilizing its expertise. Dominic Miranda, business development manager for Brewer Science, said that Brewer Science sees plenty of opportunities ahead for flexible and printed electronics in the coming years
“Brewer Science is very excited about printed electronics,” added Miranda. “We see flexible and printed electronics as a high growth opportunity within the next five to ten years, and we’ve made significant investments to be able to supply and service this industry.”
Brewer Science’s first entry in the printed electronics field was through carbon nanotube inks, and the company has taken its knowledge into printed sensors.
“From our early efforts in developing some of the industry’s first electronics-grade carbon nanotube inks, Brewer Science was able to translate the inherent properties of these solutions into lightning-fast, highly sensitive printed sensors,” said Miranda. “Today, Brewer Science is integrating our unique sensor architecture into fully integrated electronic devices that capitalize on the strengths of our sensor technology.”
Miranda said that with its foundation and expertise in material science, Brewer Science occupies a unique position in the printed and flexible electronics ecosystem.
“We manufacture the materials that make up the active layers of our sensor technology,” Miranda said. “This level of control over our supply chain gives Brewer Science the ability to provide our customers unrivaled support and service. From the design end, our material science expertise allows us to modify material properties to customize sensor functionality for our customers. No other sensor or device maker provides this level of expertise.”
Miranda said that printing sensors have opened doors to new possibilities, as the ability to quickly turn around these projects is a huge advantage.
“Taking advantage of the intrinsic customizability of printing technology and focusing on the flexibility in form and function of our sensors opens new possibilities for integrating sensing technology into applications that are prohibitively complicated or simply not possible with conventional sensors,” he pointed out.
“As an example, Brewer Science is producing custom sensor arrays that simplify the integration of multiple sensors into a single device,” Miranda noted. “Printing these arrays has enabled us to take the customer’s design from idea to working prototype in a matter of weeks. Additionally, as we work closely with the customer in the design and development phase, we have been able to identify and implement changes that improve device performance. Utilizing printing technology allows us to easily apply these changes without costly capital equipment expenditures while maintaining the fundamental sensor performance.”
Flexibility is another key, as conformable sensors can be adapted to non-flat surfaces.
“Flexibility has afforded sensor integration into areas where the rigid design of conventional sensors is not easily adapted,” he said. “Brewer Science has been able to apply our flexible sensors to conform to non-flat surfaces for more direct and more accurate sensing. Our flexible sensors have been printed onto flexible adhesive substrates and applied to curved surfaces for direct contact to the target.”
As for the best markets for flexible and printed electronics, Miranda said that the potential market for printed and flexible electronics is as broad as the electronics industry itself, and therein also lies the challenge.
“The best opportunities are in the areas where flexible and printed electronics provide a distinct advantage over existing technologies,” he noted. “Specifically, markets for wearable electronic devices like sports and fitness, medical/healthcare, and infotainment, where printed electronics flexibility provides unique form factors and performance solutions. These markets represent the staging ground for broader adoption of printed electronics into the electronics industry.”
Today, Brewer Science is producing flex sensors, moisture sensors and thermistor, the latter of which detects and responds to slight changes in temperature. The company is also customizing projects for new applications.
“While we cannot talk about specific projects and/or customers we’re working with right now, we have active collaborative projects in many areas,” Miranda reported, including industrial applications for asset/equipment monitoring and predictive maintenance system, wireless environmental monitoring platforms with cloud-based data management and AR/VR sensor arrays.
“Technical solutions are advancing rapidly and practical applications in areas that can benefit from the unique characteristics of printed electronics devices are becoming more evident,” Miranda concluded. “Brewer Science builds on our strength as a technology innovator. In printed electronics, we see a place where our innovation will influence the direction of technology development and how it can benefit people.”