Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1443477
66 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2022 designs, where current equipment yields are very low, or cannot handle innovative design at all. As a digital technology, medium- to high- mix, medium-volume manufacturers will ben- efit from our technology. High-volume users of dispensing equipment will also benefit from our system's much higher speed. It's for any relevant industry player that faces advanced demands from their end customers and who reach the performance limits of cur- rent technologies. Once we introduce our solution for com- plete PCB manufacturing, you will see a sig- nificant industry disruption also allowing re- shoring. PCB manufacturing will come closer to end-users and higher labor cost countries will regain the ability to compete. Our tech- nology will make PCB manufacturing eco- friendly for the first time. In most cases, ioTech's IO-300 printer can print designs that are currently unprintable and that just cannot be manufactured today. But high-mix, low-volume manufacturers will also benefit from an attractive ROI on this solution. Beaulieu: What else can you share about it? Birnbaum: Our technology is clean. No etch- ing chemicals are involved in the process. It is thriy. is is an additive technology, not subtractive. With copper prices increasing, this can only get more attractive. It has a small footprint. Sometimes several stations can be replaced with just one. And it will bring our customers significant new business opportu- nities. We can print standard industry-certi- fied materials digitally, fast, and at high resolu- tion. No adaptation to any additive manufac- turing technology constraints is required. e ability to print six materials concurrently is a great competitive advantage. It makes it pos- sible to print complex multi-material prod- ucts, such as multi-layer HDI PCBs. And the technology is protected by a robust portfolio of patents. Beaulieu: What do you find to be exciting about this company? Birnbaum: ioTech is a typical ultra-innovative Israeli startup, with a great technology, achiev- ing a lot with limited resources. We are very fortunate to have the backing of two major companies in the electronics industry, Hen- kel and ASM Pacific Technology. We officially launched the product at productronica, where we won the productronica Innovation Award for PCB and EMS, as well as the Elektor Fast Forward first prize for best new start-up. We have already sold two machines and our first machine has been installed at a production site for beta testing. Everyone we speak with is excited about being able to print standard industry materi- als. is is what has prevented additive manu- facturing from making a dent in the electron- ics industry so far, since no electronics manu- facturer would replace certified materials with material approximations. e fact that we can digitally print standard industrial materials at high speed and high resolution is a major game changer. Beaulieu: What makes you a good company? Birnbaum: e combination of the R&D team, headed by our CTO, an innovation leader with 50 patents in laser deposition, with the busi- ness acumen of our CEO and the commercial team, gives us a tremendous edge. Our team comes from excellent universities (Imperial College, Hebrew University, Harvard Business School, Weizmann Institute, INSEAD, and Our technology will make PCB manufacturing eco-friendly for the first time.