It is an exciting time for the flexible and printed electronics industry. The expanding use of hybrid systems, which combines the best elements of flexible/printed and conventional electronics, is helping more products reach markets such as automotive, healthcare, consumer and industrial applications. Sensors, wearables, smart packaging, in-mold electronics and more are becoming more mainstream applications, and as they appear in the market, more companies are seeing the possibilities.

In particular, two stories in Printed Electronics Now’s spring 2020 issue show the latest developments in the field, as well as what is on the horizon. First, in “Flexible and Printed Electronics are Reaching the Mainstream,” which begins on page 11, I spoke with end-users and flexible and printed electronics manufacturers about their experiences in the market and what we may see next.
From smart packaging and sensors to wearables and RFID and more, there are plenty of success stories to be found.

In “New Applications for Printed and Flexible Sensors,” starting on page 14, leaders in the field of sensors speak about what they have developed and the market opportunities ahead. There are many flexible and/or printed sensors already available in commercial settings – Tekscan’s work on Dr. Scholl’s Custom Fit Orthotics Kiosk comes to mind – and gas sensors, health care and sports monitoring, military, automotive and more are either already in production or nearing commercialization. Through smart packaging and RFID, people are communicating with the brands they buy; such possibilities would not have been imagined just a few years ago.

Whether it is through providing better insights into healthcare and physical fitness, developing more efficient and lightweight systems for automobiles, getting more accurate environmental data or more, flexible and printed electronics are changing the world around us. The good news is that there are even more projects in the pipeline; we are looking forward to seeing new innovations that are coming in the near future.

David Savastano
Printed Electronics Now Editor
[email protected]