David Savastano, Editor09.29.10
It is clear that universities are, in many cases, taking on a lead role in printed electronics (PE), with quite a few successful start-ups emerging out of university spin-outs.
However, major universities are also taking on other roles, including general research as well as educating potential manufacturers and suppliers. For example, a number of universities that have specialized in graphic arts are utilizing their skills and expertise in the area of printed electronics.
One such example is Clemson University, located in Clemson, SC. In 2004, Clemson came up with the idea of creating a state-of-the-art packaging facility to bring together the strengths of its Graphic Communications and Packaging Science departments. In 2009, the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics was launched.
The initial idea for The Sonoco Institute was to emphasize packaging design, but there is much more to design than just appearance and basic structure, according to Chip Tonkin, director of the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics.
“‘Packaging Design’ incorporates much more than the structural and aesthetic elements that typically come to mind – done properly, this process should incorporate a wide range of disciplines including material properties, structural attributes, environmental sciences, manufacturing, marketing and psychology,” said Tonkin. “As this became apparent, our mission broadened into something that will have a much greater impact.”
With its extensive capabilities, the Sonoco Institute is fulfilling its educational objectives while providing training and developing new technologies for the field of packaging.
“The goal is to leverage our core campus strengths along with the knowledge and participation of our industry partners to make significant contributions at three levels – as an academic stimulator, an industry resource for training and research, and a driving force to bring new technologies and innovations to the packaging and graphics markets,” Tonkin noted. “The process of formalizing these goals, building a facility and marshaling the appropriate resources went quickly.”
When the Sonoco Institute opened in 2009, it was clear that printed electronics has a place in packaging design, and the Sonoco Institute incorporated printed electronics into its educational curriculum. In terms of PE, the Sonoco Institute is focused on the commercial optimization and deposition of advanced materials on flexible substrates, with an eye on the growing interest in smart packaging.
“We leverage our expertise in traditional package printing technology with our industry network for discovery, benchmarking and utilization in the broad field of printed electronics,” Jay Sperry, research associate at the Sonoco Institute, said. “Because of our packaging focus, obviously applications such as smart packaging and advancing the interaction of packaging within retail environments are of particular interest. We look at markets where layering and device material characteristic requirements are ripe for manufacturing with today’s printing capabilities such as lighting, photovoltaics, batteries and sensors. In tandem, we also provide an environment for advanced printing and coating research to elevate manufacturing capabilities to enable more precise devices and applications for printed electronics.”
The Sonoco Institute brings a wealth of expertise in many key aspects of the PE industry, including its partners and faculty members. Because of its extensive connections through the entire packaging supply chain, Tonkin said that the Institute’s real value lies in its ability to pull together collaborators across many vertical and horizontal markets, extending from the raw material and equipment suppliers, the printers and converters, the marketing and creative agencies, all the way through to the consumer products companies.
“Some examples of our partners are companies like EskoArtwork, Harper Corporation, Sonoco and Havi Global Solutions,” Tonkin said. “They believe in the mission, fully buy into our value proposition and are actively involved in packaging related projects at the Institute. In addition, the FlexTech Alliance and suppporters at Nth Degree Technologies have been instrumental in helping us formulate, fine tune and expand our role in printed electronics research.”
Without a doubt, the faculty plays an essential part of the Sonoco Institute’s approach to PE.
“Members of the faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute have been involved in printed electronics for a decade,” said Dr. Bruce E. Kahn, adjunct professor of graphic communications at Clemson. “They have expertise in many key areas such as printing, packaging science, chemistry, materials science, engineering, electronics and devices. The faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute have published a considerable number of books and articles on printed electronics, and presented seminars and workshops on PE topics all over the world. The faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute are sought after as experts in printed electronics by government organizations, funding agencies and private industry.”
That experience, combined with the new equipment at the Institute, gives researchers and students alike the opportunity to flourish. Flexography is an area of particular expertise, as the Institute has two flexo presses, an OMET Varyflex platform press and a Bobst 160 corrugated press. They also have all the necessary support features onsite, including a structural and graphic design lab, high definition platemaking and an ink formulation lab to insure optimum printed results.
“The Sonoco institute leverages its expertise in printing and packaging science with Clemson’s world-class expertise in science and engineering in ways that no other university can match,” Dr. Kahn said. “The Sonoco Institute is housed in a building that is only a year old, and features state-of-the-art equipment such as a production-scale flexographic printing press that is less than a year old.”
Programs at the Sonoco Institute
As part of its educational mission, the Sonoco Institute provides a variety of resources for the graphic arts. There are numerous workshops, online courses, training session, product testing and consulting services.
One of the areas where Clemson is driving interest in PE is its seminar series. On Oct. 28-29, Clemson's Printed Electronics 101 seminar will be held, combining talks by Dr. Kahn, Sperry and Dr. Bill Ray, chief scientist at Nth Degree, along with hands-on printing activities resulting in take-away samples.
The hands-on sessions will include programs on Conductive Inks and Flexographic Printing; Multi-layered, Roll-to-Roll Production Printing; and Device Building with Flat-Bed Screen Printing.
An optional “primer day” will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, October 27, 2010 for those who would like to learn or brush up on printing processes for printed electronics and basic electronics.
Dr. Kahn said that in addition to the upcoming seminar, the Sonoco Institute has developed and delivered courses and workshops on a variety of topics in the PE field, such as basic printing processes, sensors, displays, power sources, etc. The Institute has hosted conferences from the FlexTech Alliance and the Gravure Association of America. Sonoco Institute faculty members have been called upon by a number of government funding agencies such as DARPA and NSF to help develop funding for programs in printed electronics.
“In addition to inspiring students and getting them involved in printed electronics, Sonoco Institute faculty and staff are sought after around the world as conference and workshop speakers, and regularly promote the field,” Dr. Kahn added. In fact, Prof. Kahn’s license plate is PRNTELEC.
Recent Advances
For Tonkin and the faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute, printed electronics offers the opportunity to develop cutting-edge solutions for the field of packaging.
“We are primarily focused on driving innovation in two areas: integrating advanced structural design, sustainability and consumer response into the packaging design workflow and opening up completely new opportunities in package functionality and use,” Tonkin said. “Printed electronics is a perfect fit for the latter, and we have developed unique pilot capabilities that enable us to be a key player in the transition from fundamental technology and laboratory successes into practical reality.”
At the end of the day, Tonkin said that Clemson is ideally suited to develop and analyze the wide array of printed electronics systems, from displays and RFID tags to sensors.
“Using traditional printing methodologies to economically create functionality on a package is something the market is clearly interested in, and could include things like displays, RFID, environmental and/or biological sensors,” Tonkin concluded. “Advancing the applications and usage of printed electronics in packaging is a natural fit for Clemson because of our practical applied approach to the printing process, advances in optical materials research, high quality engineering and science programs, and thorough knowledge of the packaging requirements and test procedures. I believe that functional printing will have a huge impact on the U.S.’s manufacturing industry, and the only real question I have is whether we as part of the printing and packaging industry will play a significant role.”
One such example is Clemson University, located in Clemson, SC. In 2004, Clemson came up with the idea of creating a state-of-the-art packaging facility to bring together the strengths of its Graphic Communications and Packaging Science departments. In 2009, the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics was launched.
The initial idea for The Sonoco Institute was to emphasize packaging design, but there is much more to design than just appearance and basic structure, according to Chip Tonkin, director of the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics.
“‘Packaging Design’ incorporates much more than the structural and aesthetic elements that typically come to mind – done properly, this process should incorporate a wide range of disciplines including material properties, structural attributes, environmental sciences, manufacturing, marketing and psychology,” said Tonkin. “As this became apparent, our mission broadened into something that will have a much greater impact.”
With its extensive capabilities, the Sonoco Institute is fulfilling its educational objectives while providing training and developing new technologies for the field of packaging.
“The goal is to leverage our core campus strengths along with the knowledge and participation of our industry partners to make significant contributions at three levels – as an academic stimulator, an industry resource for training and research, and a driving force to bring new technologies and innovations to the packaging and graphics markets,” Tonkin noted. “The process of formalizing these goals, building a facility and marshaling the appropriate resources went quickly.”
When the Sonoco Institute opened in 2009, it was clear that printed electronics has a place in packaging design, and the Sonoco Institute incorporated printed electronics into its educational curriculum. In terms of PE, the Sonoco Institute is focused on the commercial optimization and deposition of advanced materials on flexible substrates, with an eye on the growing interest in smart packaging.
“We leverage our expertise in traditional package printing technology with our industry network for discovery, benchmarking and utilization in the broad field of printed electronics,” Jay Sperry, research associate at the Sonoco Institute, said. “Because of our packaging focus, obviously applications such as smart packaging and advancing the interaction of packaging within retail environments are of particular interest. We look at markets where layering and device material characteristic requirements are ripe for manufacturing with today’s printing capabilities such as lighting, photovoltaics, batteries and sensors. In tandem, we also provide an environment for advanced printing and coating research to elevate manufacturing capabilities to enable more precise devices and applications for printed electronics.”
“Some examples of our partners are companies like EskoArtwork, Harper Corporation, Sonoco and Havi Global Solutions,” Tonkin said. “They believe in the mission, fully buy into our value proposition and are actively involved in packaging related projects at the Institute. In addition, the FlexTech Alliance and suppporters at Nth Degree Technologies have been instrumental in helping us formulate, fine tune and expand our role in printed electronics research.”
Without a doubt, the faculty plays an essential part of the Sonoco Institute’s approach to PE.
“Members of the faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute have been involved in printed electronics for a decade,” said Dr. Bruce E. Kahn, adjunct professor of graphic communications at Clemson. “They have expertise in many key areas such as printing, packaging science, chemistry, materials science, engineering, electronics and devices. The faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute have published a considerable number of books and articles on printed electronics, and presented seminars and workshops on PE topics all over the world. The faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute are sought after as experts in printed electronics by government organizations, funding agencies and private industry.”
That experience, combined with the new equipment at the Institute, gives researchers and students alike the opportunity to flourish. Flexography is an area of particular expertise, as the Institute has two flexo presses, an OMET Varyflex platform press and a Bobst 160 corrugated press. They also have all the necessary support features onsite, including a structural and graphic design lab, high definition platemaking and an ink formulation lab to insure optimum printed results.
“The Sonoco institute leverages its expertise in printing and packaging science with Clemson’s world-class expertise in science and engineering in ways that no other university can match,” Dr. Kahn said. “The Sonoco Institute is housed in a building that is only a year old, and features state-of-the-art equipment such as a production-scale flexographic printing press that is less than a year old.”
Programs at the Sonoco Institute
As part of its educational mission, the Sonoco Institute provides a variety of resources for the graphic arts. There are numerous workshops, online courses, training session, product testing and consulting services.
The hands-on sessions will include programs on Conductive Inks and Flexographic Printing; Multi-layered, Roll-to-Roll Production Printing; and Device Building with Flat-Bed Screen Printing.
An optional “primer day” will be held the afternoon of Wednesday, October 27, 2010 for those who would like to learn or brush up on printing processes for printed electronics and basic electronics.
Dr. Kahn said that in addition to the upcoming seminar, the Sonoco Institute has developed and delivered courses and workshops on a variety of topics in the PE field, such as basic printing processes, sensors, displays, power sources, etc. The Institute has hosted conferences from the FlexTech Alliance and the Gravure Association of America. Sonoco Institute faculty members have been called upon by a number of government funding agencies such as DARPA and NSF to help develop funding for programs in printed electronics.
“In addition to inspiring students and getting them involved in printed electronics, Sonoco Institute faculty and staff are sought after around the world as conference and workshop speakers, and regularly promote the field,” Dr. Kahn added. In fact, Prof. Kahn’s license plate is PRNTELEC.
Recent Advances
For Tonkin and the faculty and staff of the Sonoco Institute, printed electronics offers the opportunity to develop cutting-edge solutions for the field of packaging.
“We are primarily focused on driving innovation in two areas: integrating advanced structural design, sustainability and consumer response into the packaging design workflow and opening up completely new opportunities in package functionality and use,” Tonkin said. “Printed electronics is a perfect fit for the latter, and we have developed unique pilot capabilities that enable us to be a key player in the transition from fundamental technology and laboratory successes into practical reality.”
At the end of the day, Tonkin said that Clemson is ideally suited to develop and analyze the wide array of printed electronics systems, from displays and RFID tags to sensors.
“Using traditional printing methodologies to economically create functionality on a package is something the market is clearly interested in, and could include things like displays, RFID, environmental and/or biological sensors,” Tonkin concluded. “Advancing the applications and usage of printed electronics in packaging is a natural fit for Clemson because of our practical applied approach to the printing process, advances in optical materials research, high quality engineering and science programs, and thorough knowledge of the packaging requirements and test procedures. I believe that functional printing will have a huge impact on the U.S.’s manufacturing industry, and the only real question I have is whether we as part of the printing and packaging industry will play a significant role.”