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16 The PCB Magazine • August 2014 electronics industry. The subtractive process of etching away most of the copper, with all of its chemical requirements and waste generated, was the path we followed. Evolutionary im- provements reduced feature size and improved precision of feature location, facilitating the miniaturization that was (and to some extent, still is) the driving force behind electronic prod- uct improvements. As the century waned, a combination of cost pressures, environmental concerns and ex- pansion of electronics applications previously unimagined started to run into areas where the subtractive approach reached limitations. Very large displays with thousands of identi- cal thin film transistors (TFTs), e-readers, new directions in lighting, photovoltaic interest, and very low-cost electronic applications on renewable (sometimes disposable) substrates renewed interest in the potential advantages inherent in placing functional materials only where needed. Simultaneously, material science provided new options for functional electronic materials that began to address limitations the inks and substrates of earlier generations. Advances in nanomaterials, semi-conductor materials, and substrates accompanied the start of a number of new ventures, each encouraged by optimis- tic projections of dot-com-like growth, and the looming prospect of obsolescence of all exist- ing forms of electronic production. While there were isolated examples of commercial success using the technology where and when appro- priate, the next decade was a lesson in indus- trial/technology reality. 2000–2010: Too Many Promises, Too Little Commercialization Inflated growth projections, the lack of wide- spread infrastructure, lack of universally accept- able criteria (for acceptance, reliability, testing, etc.) and improvements in the well-established existing alternatives limited the growth of the market. A number of major companies invested heavily on the promises and drove important developments in the technology and materials, but without the "killer app" success they antici- pated. The situation is in some ways analogous to the automotive industry in the first 20 years of the 20 th century, where 1,300–1,400 automo- bile manufacturers formed in the U.S., most of which had disappeared by 1920. The legacy of this period remains a barrier to investment and consideration of printed elec- tronic alternatives among main-stream elec- tronic manufacturers. In the latter part of the decade, successes of more realistic, "hybridized" (i.e., where selective application of printed elec- tronic technology in an otherwise conventional electronic fabrication sequence) applications have begun to erode the skepticism. Continued steady growth in what became known as tradi- tional printed electronics (membrane switches, electroluminescent [EL] applications, auto rear- window defoggers, etc. Ninety-five percent of which was screen printed) continued through the decade also helped overcome some reserva- tions. 2010: A New Beginning In 2010, IPC membership tasked IPC staff with a realistic assessment of printed electron- ics, including: • 2010: Problem Assessment: Existing vs. Desired State of Industry • Assessment of 2010 Issues Impeding Market Development • What was Needed to Achieve Desired State • Select & Prioritize Needs based on 1) Achievability 2) Resources A breakdown of these four areas follows. 2010: Problem Assessment Situation Analysis: In 2010, our assessment of the existing gen- eral state of the printed electronics industry worldwide determined that there were isolated examples of commercial success (blood glucose monitor strips, some RFID, some membrane switch applications, etc.). They each shared cer- tain characteristics, namely: • Each was a strictly bilateral arrangement (one customer and one supplier), with unique and privately agreed design criteria, acceptance and performance requirements and (generally) building approaches PRINTED ELECTRONICS 2014: WORLD STANDARDIzATION EFFORT continues