As the flexible and printed electronics industry finds new opportunities for growth, equipment manufacturers are working closely to help their customers meet increasing demand.

Nicolas Bernardin, deputy managing director for CERADROP, a MGI Group company, reported that smart packaging is a promising opportunity.

“There are several different markets observing a promising growth,” said Bernardin. “Thanks to strong interaction between teams in MGI Group based on historical background, currently we are focusing efforts on smart packaging.

“This is more than a trend and printed electronics products are more than close to reaching commercialization, especially in smart packaging fields,” added Bernardin. “We are strongly working on providing industrial digital solutions in close partnership with industrial players like AGFA and others to make it happen.”

Thomas Kolbusch, VP, Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH, noted he is seeing growing interest in numerous markets.

“The biggest push comes from sensors in combination with wearable electronics, encapsulation of flexible OLEDs, integration of organic or hybrid systems into or onto textiles, medical applications in relation to microfluidic systems combined with sensors, and in solar, specifically perovskite,” Kolbusch said. “We are seeing NFC in labeling, electrochromic films for windows and a range of printed sensors that we have already helped to produce.”

Michael Gnaegy, VP – global sales for XENON Corporation, said that the company is seeing the most growth in the flexible displays, sensors and conductive ink.

“For the first time, it appears that we are being approached for scaled up (wide width, high speed, roll-to-roll) OEM requirements,” Gnaegy noted.

“We continue to see growth in Asia, as a greater number of incumbent electronics companies look to printed electronics technologies and products to enable new products,” said Stan Farnsworth, VP of marketing for NovaCentrix. “Regarding new applications, we are seeing an uptick in business with wearables companies and automotive suppliers.

“We have had customers move from R&D and testing into full-volume production of products, which would not be possible without the use of our PulseForge photonic curing tools,” Farnsworth added. “This is a very exciting for us and for the entire PE community, as the innovation exhibited by our customers now has the potential to become the new standards for their respective application spaces.”

Key Features for Equipment

Flexible and printed electronics suppliers are seeking new advantages from equipment, whether it is allowing modules to be added or creating more consistent quality. Ceradrop is responding to interest in systems that can add different modules.

“This is exactly what we are offering with our CeraPrinter F-Serie, integrating lots of different technologies in an all-in-one platform: different digital materials deposition technologies (inkjet, aerosol jet…) multi-curing modules (photonic, UV, NIR…) and characterization facilities integrated in-line,” said Bernardin. “The design of this state-of-the-art platform is thought to adapt to specific needs by integrating new technical building blocks in order to allow hybrid process development.

“Customers are more and more requesting high flexibility for their equipment range and seeking more technology integrated in one single tool that is able to be upgraded quickly and easily,” Bernardin added.

“Customers are realizing that quality counts, and so they are very particular regarding uniformity and control of process conditions, of process control, and in transitioning R&D results into production,” Farnsworth noted. “Our PulseForge tools have been designed to integrate directly into customers’ quality management systems, by allowing users to record the processing conditions and results for each exposure, and by operating with the high degree of control and repeatability as needed for effective statistical methods.”

Gnaegy reported that XENON’s customers are looking for higher energy levels and improved uniformity. XENON has introduced new electronic systems and optics to meet these requirements.
Kolbusch reported that customers are seeking inline processing and quality control for every step of their process.

“Our lab2fab concept is now going into the direction of fab solutions,” Kolbusch reported. “High accurate registration systems for precise printing of several layers on top of each other is one of our specialities. There we bring more and more systems into the market and also into existing units. Last but not least, technologies for doing very fine lines for touch panels or other applications are finding a growing interest, and here we also developed unique solutions.

“We just finished the work on all-new units in our R&D center, which got a complete change in units being used,” Kolbusch said. “We now have a number of enclosed Smartcoaters for smaller working width and less amount of inks being used in operation, including a unit with a nitrogen environment. The click&coat system is upgraded now on over 30 units with a completely air conditioned environment and filtered air to reduce particles. We installed a new production with turret winders for operation speeds up to 300 m/min and installed a person who is now responsible for the overall quality management in the R&D center.”

Latest Innovations

With these requirements in minds, leading equipment suppliers are launching new products for flexible and printed electronics manufacturers.

“Our most recent innovations are all integrated in our CeraPrinter F-Serie, permitting advanced hybrid process development,” said Bernardin. “This digital printer allows users to combine both inkjet and aerosol jet materials deposition technologies and to cure the deposited layers with different post-process curing technologies integrated in-line. This state-of-the-art machine offers a wide range of possibilities in one single stand-alone platform.”

“In 2015, we continued to press forward with our already state-of-the-art PulseForge tools,” said Farnsworth. “We released new revisions of the tool software, and implemented advanced calibration and synchronization procedures for users operating multiple PulseForge tools and across multiple locations. This allows our customers to support consistently high product quality and performance at a global scale.”

“XENON has developed a new Rapid Energy Delivery System (REDS) to provide higher peak power to achieve faster sintering of silver and copper nano ink materials,” said Gnaegy. “XENON’s REDS system is incorporated in two new photonic sintering systems recently introduced: models S-2200 and S-2300. A new lower cost R&D system to be introduced in May 2016 will also incorporate this innovative energy delivery system.”

Kolbusch noted that Coatema is working on everything related to fine structures in the nano and micron range, done by laser patterning of coated layers, UV nanoimprint lithograph technology and thermal nano imprint lithography. “This combined with inline spectroscopy and high accurate registration technology are our key developments,” Kolbusch noted.

“There’s also new platform developments like the tabletop Test Solution systems and the new 6 in 1 Smartcoater, a new revolutionary slot die adjustment system and a new surface treatment combined with a fully flexible postitioning system where we can move the slot die from the 12 to 9 clock postion,” added Kolbusch.

Outlook for the Market

Overall, equipment suppliers see opportunities for growth. Gnaegy said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the flexible and printed electronics field. “The market seems to be moving into high volume production mode vs. research mode,” he added.

“We see a big push for sensors, medical devices and OLEDs,” Kolbusch said.

“There are lots of applications fields where our customers are finalizing the last steps of process development using our advanced R&D equipment range,” Barnardin said. “In addition, we are improving 24/7 manufacturing equipment that will easily permit the industrial upscale to produce lots of different components answering a wide range of industrial requirements.”

“We are seeing the innovations driven by our customers being rewarded in the marketplace,” Farnsworth said. “The successes of these technology leaders could inspire others to further explore and adopt PE technologies. We are working hard to continue to deliver innovation in our products, and to address existing and anticipated customer needs. These are exciting times as many of the current technology trends have opportunities for the inclusion of PE technologies.”