There are many innovative companies developing printed and flexible electronics (PE) systems. However, what works in the lab doesn’t always translate into the manufacturing process.

By showcasing its SINTERON 5000 system, XENON Corporation believes it has the answers to large scale roll-to-roll pulsed light sintering, and is backing that up by running live demos at Printed Electronics USA 2013. At the show, the SINTERON 5000 is sintering functioning printed battery testers.

“Roll to roll sintering is essential for current and potential PE applications, and we have achieved this milestone with the SINTERON 5000 system,” said Lou Panico, CEO of XENON. “This is the culmination of XENON’s 50 years of experience in pulsed light technology.

“The market seems to be building up a head of steam,” added Panico. “We are receiving production orders from companies that have used our R&D tools.”

Introduced in 2012, the SINTERON 5000 is operational in manufacturing lines and producing commercial products, including high-volume manufacture of RFID tags. The system uses XENON’s patented technology to deliver high-energy bursts of pulsed light for sintering silver nano inks on the production line at up to 100 feet per minute.

“The SINTERON 5000 allows manufacturers to avoid using an oven for drying on a roll-to-roll application,” Dr. Saad Ahmed, XENON’s director of engineering. “Ovens take up to 10 minutes to dry. Our system is compact and processes the materials simultaneously, while providing improved performance and adhesion. It is also flexible in terms of the materials it can sinter.”

XENON is also showing the SINTERON 2010C, a sintering system for R&D and small scale production testing with programmable pulse widths for flexibility in sintering conductive Cu and Ag metallic inks; and the SINTERON 500, a benchtop system for R&D.

Panico said that the reaction to the SINTERON 5000 has been excellent.

“This show is an order of magnitude better than any show we’ve been at,” Panico said. “Our live demonstrations went very well, and our new equipment has been received very favorably.”