AMT JUN/JUL 2022

Page 70

068

ELECTRONICS

3D electronics enables greater integration 3D electronics is an emerging manufacturing approach that enables electronics to be integrated within or onto the surface of objects. While 3D electronics has long been used for adding antennas and simple conductive interconnects to the surface of 3D injectionmoulded plastic objects, more complex circuits are increasingly being added onto surfaces made from a variety of materials by using new techniques. Furthermore, 3D additive electronics enables complete circuits to be integrated within an object, offering multiple benefits that include simplified manufacturing and novel form factors. With 3D electronics, adding electronic functionality no longer requires incorporating a rigid, planar PCB into an object then wiring up the relevant switches, sensors, power sources, and other external components. A recent IDTechEx report assesses the competing 3D and additive electronics technologies that will enable PCBs to be replaced with integrated electronics, saving space, weight and reducing manufacturing complexity. 3D electronics is an emerging approach that uses additive manufacturing to enable electronics to be integrated within or onto the surface of objects. While it has long been used for adding antennas and simple conductive interconnects to the surface of 3D injection-moulded plastic objects, more complex circuits are increasingly being added onto surfaces made from a variety of material by using new techniques. Furthermore, in-mould electronics and 3D printed electronics enable complete circuits to be integrated within an object, offering multiple benefits that include simplified manufacturing and novel form factors. With 3D electronics, adding electronic functionality no longer requires incorporating a rigid, planar PCB into an object then wiring up the relevant switches, sensors, power sources and other external components. The most established approach to adding electrical functionality onto the surface of 3D objects is laser direct structuring (LDS), in which an additive in the injection-moulded plastic is selectively activated by a laser. This forms a pattern that is subsequently metallised using electroless plating. LDS saw tremendous growth around a decade ago and is used to manufacture 100s of millions of devices each year, around 75% of which are antennas. However, this metallisation method can only be applied to injection moulded components with an additive, and only enables a single metal layer to be deposited thus limiting circuit complexity.

AMT JUN 2022

Given these limitations, other approaches to applying conductive traces to the surfaces of 3D objects are gaining ground. Extruding conductive paste, a viscous suspension comprising multiple conductive flakes, is already used for a small proportion of antennas and is the approach of choice for systems that deposit entire circuits onto 3D surfaces. Aerosol jetting and laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) are other emerging digital deposition technologies, both of which have higher resolutions and rapid deposition of a wide range of materials respectively.

In-Mould Electronics In-Mould Electronics (IME), in which electronics are printed/mounted prior to thermoforming into a 3D component, facilitates the transition towards greater integration of electronics, especially where capacitive touch sensing and lighting is required. By enabling multiple integrated functionalities to be incorporated into components with thermoformed 3D surfaces, IME offers multiple advantages relative to conventional mechanical switches, including reduction in weight and material consumption of up to 70% and much simpler assembly. IME is an extension of well-established in-mould decorating (IMD), in which plastic sheets with a decorative coating are converted to three dimensions via thermoforming and subsequent injection moulding. IME differs from IMD through the initial screen printing of conductive thermoformable inks, followed by deposition of electrically conductive adhesives and the mounting of SMDs (surface mount devices, primarily LEDs at present). The long-term target for IME is to become an established platform technology, much the same as rigid PCBs are today. Once

this is achieved getting a component/ circuit produced will be a simple matter of sending an electronic design file. Along with greater acceptance of the technology, this will require clear design rules, materials that conform to established standards, and crucially the development of electronic design tools.

Fully printed 3D electronics Arguably the most innovative approach to additive electronics is fully 3D printed electronics, in which dielectric materials (usually thermoplastics) and conductive materials are sequentially deposited. Combined with placed SMD components, this results in a circuit, potentially with a complex multilayer structure embedded in a 3D plastic object. The core value proposition is that each object and embedded circuit can be manufactured to a different design without the expense of manufacturing masks and moulds each time. Fully 3D printed electronics are thus well suited to applications where a wide range of components need to be manufactured at short notice. The technology is also promising for applications where a


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

ANUFACTURING HISTORY: A look back in time

4min
pages 124-126

Customised protective visors in 4D printing

5min
page 111

AMTIL FORUMS

18min
pages 114-117

Working Iron Man welding helmet

4min
pages 112-113

Charging around Australia

4min
page 110

Customised machine configuration

7min
pages 108-109

VALO onshore expansion

1min
page 107

The evolution of HMPS

3min
page 106

STATE SPOTLIGHT – WA & NT

11min
pages 102-105

Telwater welding gear bringing results after upgrade

3min
page 93

Future trends in aerospace parts

7min
pages 96-97

COMPANY FOCUS

8min
pages 100-101

Getting the most out of your flap disc

4min
pages 98-99

The special spot welding solution from Queanbeyan

3min
page 92

Collaborative robots to automate welding?

3min
pages 90-91

Cynthia Dearin’s five top tips in international business

4min
page 89

Using plastic dent restoration tools

3min
page 88

Shot peen technology

2min
page 87

Cutting plastic

3min
page 86

Tolerance attainment in micro molding

4min
pages 84-85

ONE ON ONE

6min
pages 82-83

3D printed cemented carbide

3min
pages 80-81

Automated post processing of 3D printed metal and plastic

6min
pages 78-79

Wearable power generators whip up watts while walking

3min
page 71

Knaus Tabbert AG on the post processing solution

3min
page 76

Energy Renaissance pass local government goal

2min
page 75

LAPP Group smoke free cabling

7min
pages 72-73

AMW 2022 – Where technology meets innovation

30min
pages 58-69

3D electronics enables greater integration

3min
page 70

Suck it up

2min
page 53

TECH NEWS: New and interesting technology

26min
pages 36-43

Grinding robots market size to grow

3min
page 52

Ellume’s COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests

4min
pages 50-51

From the CEO

1min
pages 12-13

From the Industry

4min
pages 14-15

From the Union

2min
pages 16-17

INDUSTRY NEWS: Current news from the Industry

24min
pages 18-26

GOVERNMENT NEWS

2min
page 27
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.