Emona Instruments 3D printed electronics

Emona Instruments is bringing high-technology 3D printing solutions to Australian industry for electronics R&D, manufacturing, research and education with the printing of multilayer PCBs, as well as resistors, capacitors, antennas, sensors and thin film transistors.

The company’s multilayer PCB 3D printing solution is provided by Nano-Dimension’s DragonFly 2020 Pro. The system brings together a precise inkjet deposition printer, high-performance silver nanoparticle conductive and dielectric inks as well as dedicated software, enabling companies to bring designs to the market quickly while keeping sensitive design information in-house.

Emona’s 3D printing of electronics is provided by Optomec’s Aerosol Jet technology. Electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, antennas, sensors and thin film transistors have all been printed with Aerosol Jet technology. The performance parameters of printed components, eg, the ohm value of a resistor, can be controlled through printing parameters. Components can also be printed onto 3D surfaces, eliminating the need for a separate substrate and thereby reducing the size, thickness and weight of the end product. For example, Aerosol Jet is used to print antennas and sensors that conform to the shape of the underlying substrate such as a mobile phone case.

The Aerosol Jet process supports printing on a wide variety of substrates including plastics, ceramics and metallic structures. Nanoparticle inks have been optimised for the Aerosol Jet process to allow printing (and subsequent ink sintering) onto plastic substrates with low heat deflection temperatures.