Toner News Mobile › Forums › Latest Industry News › *NEWS*INKJET PRINTERS TO REVOLUTIONIZE…
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AnonymousInactiveInk Jet Printers Will Revolutionize Technology
The next wave for manufacturing electronic devices
Ink
jet printing is rapidly becoming an important manufacturing tool that
will be increasingly significant in an era of manufacturing flexibility
and product personalization. It is also a tool that can further
increase the productivity of manufacturers by facilitating greater
automation and a reduction in process steps. Ink jet technology will
have a significant effect on the manufacturing sector by making
manufacturing far more environmentally friendly and responsive to
consumer needs. Without a doubt, this emerging technology will make an
impact with its diverse applications that span far beyond traditional
printing.Today’s ink jet printheads are capable of depositing (without
contact) precisely placed, microscopically small drops of fluid. Heat
is not needed to propel fluid from the nozzles of a printhead, so
corrosive materials can be jetted without destroying the printhead.
This means fluids like silver, gold, DNA and bacteria can be “printed”
on a variety of surfaces, including plastic, metal sheets, glass,
silicon and paper. In this way, ink jets can be used to print
electronic devices like flat and flexible displays, RFID tags, flexible
and rigid circuit boards, 3-D objects and more. Typically, electronic
circuits contain electrical trace lines that are made through a photo
masking and etch process. With ink jets, these trace lines are instead
made by directly depositing conductive fluid where needed. This new
process is faster and requires less material, thereby saving costs for
the manufacturer.Dr. Ghassan Jabbour, professor of materials science
and engineering, and director of flexible and organic electronics
development laboratories at Arizona State University, is already using
ink jets to develop foundational devices for displays, photovoltaics,
sensors and microfluidics. With an ink jet printer, he can print
multi-layered patterns of gels, metals, conductive polymers and
light-emitting organic materials. He recently printed metallic lines
with resolution down to around 30-35 micrometers.Another area of
manufacturing in which ink jets will have a significant impact involves
LCDs (liquid crystal displays). As LCDs have moved into TV format,
substrate size has multiplied more than four-fold. Traditional methods
of fabricating the polyimide alignment layer are not satisfactory for
these new larger Generation 7 or Generation 8 glass substrates, but ink
jets can deposit this layer quickly and uniformly.According to industry
estimates, LCD color filters represent approximately 19% of the total
cost of LCD manufacturing. Studies have shown that compared to
traditional photolithography processes used in color filter
manufacturing, ink jet technology can provide cost reductions of up to
40%. The same study showed that ink jet technology can further benefit
color filter manufacturing by reducing materials usage by 20-30% and
investment costs by more than 50%. (Study done by Kodak )Other
researchers are exploring the possibilities of ink jet printing RFID
transistors using solution-processable organic conductors such as PEDOT
(acidic water based conductive material.) Manufacturers in additional
areas are considering ink jetting. For example, ink jets will improve
production of color PLED (polymer light emitting diode) displays
because traditional spin coating is useful only for monochrome
displays. Many ink jetting manufacturing prototypes are already in
place, and many more are sure to come in the near future.A small ink
jet fluid deposition system is ideal for R&D situations because it
reduces the cost barriers of existing commercial pre-production and
production ink jet printing systems, which cost upwards of $200,000.
For instance, a group of developers is currently using the new fluid
deposition system to qualify and compare fluids, test conditions for
jetting, understand substrate test conditions and process conditions
(e.g., how much the fluid will spread and whether heat will be needed.)
The system’s simplicity makes it easy to evaluate fluids and substrates
for final properties and to print samples of new designs for
evaluation. Because the system is table-top sized and intuitive to use,
it doesn’t take up floor space or need its own room or dedicated
personnel or resources to get results. And once the critical R&D
phase is complete, ink jet printing systems are scaleable to production
and a great tool for the manufacturing industry.According to research
firm NanoMarkets, the ink jet printable electronics market is expected
to reach over $30 billion by 2013. Because of the low cost and high
flexibility of these systems, it’s certain that we will be seeing
cutting-edge innovations developed with ink jets on the market in the
near future. Perhaps soon you’ll be able to make a cell phone call by
speaking into an electronic device embedded in the sleeve of your
jacket; or maybe you’ll access your computer via a flat-panel display
so thin and flexible that it can be pulled down like a window shade; or
you’ll spot an RFID tag at the grocery store letting you know how fresh
the produce is. However the technology is applied, it is clear that ink
jet printers will revolutionize technology and the electronics
manufacturing process. -
AuthorJanuary 18, 2007 at 10:59 AM
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