Printed electronics represents an enormous potential in a world of interconnected appliances. But there is still a large gap between the technology that is available and the potential for real-life applications. “That’s why we are focusing so strongly on intensive collaboration with our customers,” says Wim Christiaens, R&D director at Quad Industries.
Opportunities and challenges in printed electronics production
1. Opportunities and challenges in printed
electronics production
Wim Christiaens, PhD, R&D Director
Printed Electronics Europe conference
Berlin, April 27-28, 2016
5. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Quad Industries
Background technology: electronic assembly
PCB assembly
- several pick & place machines
- manual and semi-automatic stencil printers
for paste and glue printing
- automatic reflow ovens
- vapour-phase soldering system
- wave-soldering
- optical stereo viewers
- AOI
Cable assembly
- Flatcables, data cables
- Power cables, signal cables
- Coaxial cables
- Complex cable harnesses
6. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Quad Industries
Core business (II): printed electronics
‘Printed electronics’ is very old technology…
membrane keyboards were the first printed electronic products
Quad has over 30 years experience in printed electronics
… but many new applications are emerging!!!
Quad Industries builds on existing technology platform
screen printing
component assembly
integration technologies
laser & die cutting
to produce a new range of products
7. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
IoT
Internet-of-Things / Internet-of-Everything
network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors
and connectivity to enable it to achieve greater value and service
= every object becomes ‘smart’, gathers and shares information with each other and
the cloud
things to be connected to the internet by 2020
• 25 Billion (source: Gartner)
• 50 Billion (source: Cisco)
• 200 Billion (source: Intel)
8. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
IoT
Applications are everywhere
Few examples:
Home and building automation: Nest Learning Thermostat
Automotive: maintenance monitoring, fuel and mileage management, driver security
Smart cities/public transportation: London iBus system
(source: http://datasciencebe.com/)
10. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
IoT
Drivers of the IoT revolution are a combination of:
omnipresent connectivity
low-cost sensors
microelectronics that allow almost anything to be
connected
smartphone, with ability to scan bar codes or RFID tags
11. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Printed electronics
Definition
Printed electronics = manufacturing of electronics by standard printing processes
Advantages
Lightweight, flexible substrates:
• PET
• coated paper
• textiles
Low-cost + low ecological footprint
• Additive manufacturing
• No (etching) chemicals
• Less process steps
Quad Industries’ technology platform
precision, fine-pitch screen-printing
• interconnection / circuitry
• printed functionality
component assembly on foil
12. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
printed foil
sensors
energy
storage
energy
harvesting
electronicsdisplay
actuators
memory
communi-
cation
• temperature
• humidity
• cap sensor
• photodetector
• piezoresistive
• piezoelectric
• gas
• bio: glucose, lactate
• RFID
• NFC
• Bluetooth low energy
• electrochromic
• OLED
• printed battery
• OPV
• MEMS
• passives
• active components
• discrete or organic TFT
• substrate: PET / paper / textiles / metal / glass
• screenprint
• fine pitch
• cond ink: nano / stretchable / transparent
• component assembly
• piezo
component integration direct integration
• printed memory
• integrated component
Vision / roadmap
13. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Cornerstones of the implementation of the roadmap:
Partnerships
• Technology partners:
Example: Enfucell for printed battery technology
• Collaborative Research or Development projects
bilateral or funded research projects
• Example: EU-FP7 Terasel, Horizon2020 INREP, IWT Met@Link,..
product development
• customers are partners!
• from prototype to volume production
• Example: temperature logger / smart textile insole
Investments
• New capabilities
• Increase capacity
Current situation: < 10k pcs
Short term focus: 10K <> 250K pcs
Medium term focus: 100K <> 5mln pcs
Vision / roadmap
14. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Printed battery technology
Quad Industries is new licensee for manufacturing Enfucell SoftBattery®
enables to manufacture full range of custom designed and integrated batteries
Technology
All-printed power source
Flexible and thin
ECO-friendly materials
On foil integration
Capacity of few mAh per cm2
Suitable for BLE or NFC enabled applications
15. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Temperature logger
Smart disposable tag, with
Integrated temperature logger
NFC antenna
Printed battery
Application:
Item-level monitoring of temp sensitive products
Medical and pharmaceutical field
Development of NXP together with Enfucell
16. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Temperature logger
Hybrid electronics on thin PET foil
Printed electronics:
• NFC antenna
• Interconnections
• Printed battery
low-cost, large scale production, flexible,
disposable
Semiconductor technology
• NXP temp sensor
ultra-low power consumption, high precision,
miniaturized (memory, NFC comm, temp sensor)
Manufactured in Quad Industries facilities
NHS3100
Printed battery
NFC antenna
17. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Smart shoe insole (I)
Development in collaboration with ATO Gear
Product: ARION
printed pressure sensitive insole the fits underneath existing insole of running shoe
in combination with Bluetooth transmitter to connect to mobile devices for real-time feedback
Technology
printed, force sensitive resistor (FSR) technnology
8 embedded pressure sensors
• placed at strategic locations
design, build-up and materials
optimised for optimal sensor
responsiveness and reliability
Fully integrated solution
Flexible and thin
18. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Smart shoe insole (I)
Development in collaboration with ATO Gear
Product: ARION
printed pressure sensitive insole the fits underneath existing insole of running shoe
in combination with Bluetooth transmitter to connect to mobile devices for real-time feedback
Application
gait-analysis + analysis of running technique
19. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Smart shoe insole (I)
Development in collaboration with ATO Gear
Product: ARION
printed pressure sensitive insole the fits underneath existing insole of running shoe
in combination with Bluetooth transmitter to connect to mobile devices for real-time feedback
Application
gait-analysis + analysis of running technique
Market intro
professional athletes
specialist retailers (RunnersWorld, Run2Day)
Mass-market launch planned for late summer
20. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Smart shoe insole (II)
Development in collaboration with medilogic®
Application:
insole for Wireless Dynamic Pressure Measurement
during rehabilitation or training
Technology
Ag & carbon printed capacitive sensor on textile
14 sensor areas
Fully integrated solution
Flexible and thin
22. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
EU-FP7 TERASEL project
Fabrication of flat electronic circuit boards in a conventional way
using industrial processes
Embedding these circuits into thermoplastic polymers
(Thermo)forming these circuits into 2.5 D / 3D shapes
+ additional polymer application (injection moulding)
High pressure
forming
Screen printing on
thermoplastic
polymers
23. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
EU-FP7 TERASEL project
Quad Industries demonstrator
Replacement of the ‘classical’ mechanical turning knob by 3D touch-wheel
button (a version without moving parts)
A rotating movement with the fingertips is converted into the required
signal (pulses)
Challenges
Material selection
Build-up
Electronic design
• 3D, stretched capacitive slider
• Electronics
24. Printed Electronics – 27/04/2016 – Wim. Christiaens@quad-ind.com
Conclusions
Quad Industries has…
over 30 years of experience in Printed Electronics for membrane switch / user
interface market
a strong focus on co-development of new emerging applications of Printed
Electronics, based on
existing technology platform and competences in the field of screen printing, assembly,
engineering
development of new capabilities and new technologies
a strong network and is open for further partnerships
• technology partnership
• bilateral or funded research projects
• product development from prototype to volume production
25. Thank you for your attention!!
Feel free to join us on our booth, C02,
to discover more of our products