Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1475604
78 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2022 started off in the PCB part of the business, supporting that industry for probably 20–25 years. About five years ago, I moved into printed electron- ics to start up that division and I am responsible for sales, but also play a role in opera- tions and other things within printed electronics. Shaughnessy: So, Chris Hun- rath with Insulectro sent me a list of 10 popular myths about printed electron- ics, so let's address those. e first myth: Printed electronics is only for single-sided, low-end applica- tions. Is there any truth to that? Bianchi: at's a complete myth. We produce ECG electrodes with printed through-holes on two-sided polyester circuits. I would consider that a critical component. Wagner: Yes, I can add to that. Butler Technolo- gies will print two-sided circuits for membrane switches, especially in some high-density appli- cations where there's just not enough room with one-sided. So, it's pretty straightforward. We've been doing this for more than 10 years. Shaughnessy: T h e n e x t m y t h i s that printed electronics are only good for flat applications and flat parts. Wagner: I do remember when inks couldn't stretch, but now that they stretch, you can do in- mold structural electronics, in-mold electron- ics, where you're actually printing circuits onto, let's say, a polycarbonate sheet and then forming that into a three-dimensional shape and shoot- ing it with plastic resin and graphics on the film as well. So, no, it's not just for flat circuits. Many of the capacitive touch interfaces on appliances and some high-end automo- biles are all in-mold struc- tural electronics that are three dimensional in nature. Bianchi: It 's d e f i n i t e l y a n addition to the IME type of structures. ere's a printing of conductive ink on stretch- a b l e T P U ( t h e r m o p l a s - t i c polyurethane) material, which can be formed around curves or the body for differ- ent applications as well. Miller: Yes. We sell to a wide variety of manu- facturers, and there is nothing that's flat about printed electronics, except for the screen- ing process. Companies use a rotary process as well in high volume applications. e end product usually requires flexibility and it's really more of a flexible circuit. In the PCB market, we have rigid boards, flex boards, and rigid-flex boards. But I think in PE, it's strictly flexible boards because it's usually on a thinner dielectric—five mils and below. Bianchi: ere was a time once when you wanted printed electronics in membrane switch appli- cations to be flat. But with the developments by the ink manufacturers to make this stretch- able and formable, that's changed. Wagner: Wearables are our growth area. Right now, it's biometric sensors as well as printed heaters that are meant to stretch. Wearables are a huge area. You can create garments, for example, that have sensing, heating, and hope- fully some other technologies in development. You can have a one-stop shop health-monitor- ing garment. Shaughnessy: T h i s h a s a broad reach because everyone wears clothes. People who don't know much about PCBs have thoughts on wearables. Kevin Miller