David Savastano, Editor12.22.09
Judging from recent news articles, printed electronics (PE) is making headway into new applications, and show the potential for major gains in the coming years.
However, technological hurdles need to be overcome before PE becomes a mainstream process. Materials and equipment have to be developed in a way that best allows the printing process to be utilized effectively.
To achieve this, organizations must be able to put PE to the test, and universities can play a key role. There are hundreds of universities worldwide working on projects centered on printed electronics.
Western Michigan University (WMU) is among the U.S. universities studying PE. Well respected for its paper and printing capabilities, WMU has taken its commitment to printed electronics one step further, forming the Center for the Advancement of Printed Electronics (CAPE) in July 2008.
“Our ultimate goal is to facilitate R&D toward using printing as a low-cost manufacturing method,” said Dr. Margaret Joyce, CAPE’s director. “Our strength is our printing facilities, as we have inkjet, gravure, screen and flexo capabilities. Our strength has always been our printing, and we are not limited to just one process.”
CAPE’s stated goal is “to become a world recognized research center for the advancement and development of printed flexible electronic devices.” Under the leadership of Dr. Joyce, CAPE has formed a multidisciplinary approach to research, with teams formed from faculty across multiple departments
“We had been doing research for the last four years, and we received a grant from the state of Michigan to look at printed RFID,” said Dr. Joyce. “In the process of doing research, we started to realize that there were a lot of technology gaps in terms of materials and the compatibility of materials on press, and we realized we needed a multi-disciplinary team of researchers. We now have 10 primary researchers in a variety of engineering disciplines, including electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, chemical and paper engineering and imaging. We have just now involved faculty from physics and chemistry, and we are expanding our team.”
For CAPE, the key is helping companies integrate materials and the printing process.
“We are bringing forward an understanding of the printing process and what the material properties required are in each process,” Dr. Joyce noted. “Ink for printed electronics is very different from graphic ink; the accuracy needed is very different. A lot of our work is helping people understand that difference.
Dr. Joyce said that CAPE is working with material suppliers that are developing materials for different processes, and helping them reformulate their products to be more effective in production.
“There are issues on press, and we are identifying materials that will run better,” Dr. Joyce said. “There is research being done on the material development, and companies know the applications they want to create. The challenge is getting the material printed.
“Companies have concentrated on specific areas such as semiconductors and dielectrics, but many times, there was no compatibility between them,” she added. “We are now starting to see sets of materials that are compatible with each other, but no one is looking to see how these materials will actually run on press. There is still this gap.”
In November 2009, WMU and Daetwyler R&D Corporation (DR&D) announced a new partnership in PE development, including the delivery of an AccuPress printing system, Daetwyler R&D’s high-precision gravure press for the printing of sheetfed, layer-to-layer applications. The unit is scheduled to be delivered to WMU in April of 2010.
“Getting registration is a key area of research, as printers must achieve accuracy,” Dr. Joyce said. “The Daetwyler piece was key because it allows us to register the interlayers and print very fine features as well as large areas in rotogravure.”
The Daetwyler system joins a powerful array of leading printing systems at CAPE’s disposal covering the gamut from gravure and flexo to screen and inkjet, including:
• Cerutti rotogravure press (four units).
• Comco Narrow Web Flexo Press (three units).
• Screen printer MSP-485 w/ Ulign IV vision.
• FujiFilm Dimatix material printer.
• Flexo and Rotogravure K-proofer
The Cerutti and Comco pilot presses have been modified to require small ink volumes. Less than a half of liter of material is needed and the presses can run at commercial speeds. These presses are located in the Printing Pilot Plant at WMU Welborn Hall.
With its capabilities in material research and printing, CAPE is in a unique position to help the PE industry advance into production.
“We are helping to advance the knowledge of the industry,” Dr. Joyce concluded. “We have come a long way in our four years. Companies are ready to make some progress but they are not familiar with the processes. That’s why we are so busy and so successful.”
To achieve this, organizations must be able to put PE to the test, and universities can play a key role. There are hundreds of universities worldwide working on projects centered on printed electronics.
Western Michigan University (WMU) is among the U.S. universities studying PE. Well respected for its paper and printing capabilities, WMU has taken its commitment to printed electronics one step further, forming the Center for the Advancement of Printed Electronics (CAPE) in July 2008.
“Our ultimate goal is to facilitate R&D toward using printing as a low-cost manufacturing method,” said Dr. Margaret Joyce, CAPE’s director. “Our strength is our printing facilities, as we have inkjet, gravure, screen and flexo capabilities. Our strength has always been our printing, and we are not limited to just one process.”
CAPE’s stated goal is “to become a world recognized research center for the advancement and development of printed flexible electronic devices.” Under the leadership of Dr. Joyce, CAPE has formed a multidisciplinary approach to research, with teams formed from faculty across multiple departments
“We had been doing research for the last four years, and we received a grant from the state of Michigan to look at printed RFID,” said Dr. Joyce. “In the process of doing research, we started to realize that there were a lot of technology gaps in terms of materials and the compatibility of materials on press, and we realized we needed a multi-disciplinary team of researchers. We now have 10 primary researchers in a variety of engineering disciplines, including electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, chemical and paper engineering and imaging. We have just now involved faculty from physics and chemistry, and we are expanding our team.”
For CAPE, the key is helping companies integrate materials and the printing process.
“We are bringing forward an understanding of the printing process and what the material properties required are in each process,” Dr. Joyce noted. “Ink for printed electronics is very different from graphic ink; the accuracy needed is very different. A lot of our work is helping people understand that difference.
Dr. Joyce said that CAPE is working with material suppliers that are developing materials for different processes, and helping them reformulate their products to be more effective in production.
“There are issues on press, and we are identifying materials that will run better,” Dr. Joyce said. “There is research being done on the material development, and companies know the applications they want to create. The challenge is getting the material printed.
“Companies have concentrated on specific areas such as semiconductors and dielectrics, but many times, there was no compatibility between them,” she added. “We are now starting to see sets of materials that are compatible with each other, but no one is looking to see how these materials will actually run on press. There is still this gap.”
In November 2009, WMU and Daetwyler R&D Corporation (DR&D) announced a new partnership in PE development, including the delivery of an AccuPress printing system, Daetwyler R&D’s high-precision gravure press for the printing of sheetfed, layer-to-layer applications. The unit is scheduled to be delivered to WMU in April of 2010.
“Getting registration is a key area of research, as printers must achieve accuracy,” Dr. Joyce said. “The Daetwyler piece was key because it allows us to register the interlayers and print very fine features as well as large areas in rotogravure.”
The Daetwyler system joins a powerful array of leading printing systems at CAPE’s disposal covering the gamut from gravure and flexo to screen and inkjet, including:
• Cerutti rotogravure press (four units).
• Comco Narrow Web Flexo Press (three units).
• Screen printer MSP-485 w/ Ulign IV vision.
• FujiFilm Dimatix material printer.
• Flexo and Rotogravure K-proofer
The Cerutti and Comco pilot presses have been modified to require small ink volumes. Less than a half of liter of material is needed and the presses can run at commercial speeds. These presses are located in the Printing Pilot Plant at WMU Welborn Hall.
With its capabilities in material research and printing, CAPE is in a unique position to help the PE industry advance into production.
“We are helping to advance the knowledge of the industry,” Dr. Joyce concluded. “We have come a long way in our four years. Companies are ready to make some progress but they are not familiar with the processes. That’s why we are so busy and so successful.”