Nano Dimension raises $35.9M in direct stock offering

Leading AM electronics provider Nano Dimension has announced the sale of 17,950,000 of its American Depositary Shares (ADSs) at $2 per share in a registered direct offering. The sales are locked in with definitive agreements but, once complete, will total around $35.9M for the Nasdaq listed company. From this, a small portion will be deducted […]

HENSOLDT and Nano Dimension announce “major breakthrough” in high-performance electronics printing

Military sensor specialist HENSOLDT and leading AM electronics provider Nano Dimension have announced the successful 3D printing and assembly of a double-sided ten layer PCB (printed circuit board). The “major breakthrough” is a step toward developing high-performance electronic components through additive means. HENSOLDT hopes to develop the work further and apply the technology to military […]

Nanofabrica raises $4m in investment round led by Microsoft-backed M12 and Nextleap Ventures

Nanofabrica, the Israeli developer of precision additive manufacturing technologies, has raised $4m of investment in a funding round led by Microsoft’s venture arm M12 and venture capitalists NextLeap Ventures.  The latest round of funding takes the total raised to $7m, which will be used to further the company’s research and development goals, in addition to […]

Electronics 3D Printing Part Three: Inkjet 3D Printing

In our previous articles in this series, we discussed the history leading up to the development of electronics 3D printing, as well as one of the two dominant methods for printing electronics, direct writing. The other leading method for 3D printing electronics is inkjetting.

Inkjetting processes deposit photopolymers similar to a printhead found in 2D printers before curing them using ultraviolet light. The most notable company working with this process is NanoDimension, an Israeli company that has developed the DragonFly series of PCB 3D printers.

The DragonFly series jets conductive inks alongside a photocurable, dielectric ink. The process by printing bottom solder masks and pads, then printing and sintering conductive layers and printing and curing the dielectric layers, and then ending with the top solder masks and pads. The dielectric ink is cured with an LED lamp, while the conductive ink is sintered by an internal energy source.

Auxiliary electronics, including transistors and resistors, can then be added to prototype PCB designs, including multilayer PCBs. The company has demonstrated a number of applications, including embedded electronics, electromagnets, molded interconnect devices, antennas and sensors.

A 3D printed thermometer made using Nano Dimension technology. Image courtesy of Nano Dimension.

Like NanoDimension, ChemCubed inkjets dielectric photopolymer alongside conductive silver ink. The company’s flagship product is the ElectroJet, an LED flatbed 3D printer designed through a collaboration Direct Color Systems. Because Direct Color Systems offers UV printing machines—for Braille and textured signage, phone cases, acrylic awards and other applications— with build areas up to 600mm x 1,200mm in size, it’s possible that ChemCubed could scale up the size of its system to even enable batch additive production of PCBs.

A Boston startup with exciting potential is Inkbit, which is commercializing technology developed at MIT that combines inkjet technology with machine vision and learning to 3D print multi-component objects. The vision system scans each layer with micrometer resolution as the ink is deposited, registering any discrepancies between the print and the CAD geometry and compensating. This means that the internal roller required for evening layers in traditional inkjet systems, is unnecessary, allowing for the use of materials that would not jam these conventional types of systems. Meanwhile, the machine learning software behind Inkbit’s process is able to learn from errors that occur within prints and improve over time.

The machine vision system makes it possible to also incorporate additional parts into printed objects. To do this, the printer is paused and these items, such as metal reinforcement or electronics, can be manually inserted before the print begins and material is printed around them. At MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where the technology was developed, researchers demonstrated the ability to 3D print complex lenses, micro lens arrays, fiber-optic bundles, complex meta materials, an object with a built-in razor blade, lenses on top of LEDs, and even a plastic smartphone case around an existing smartphone. While the incorporation of these elements is currently performed manually, the company is hoping that, in the future, the Inkbit system can be brought into a production line where pick and place machines can add these components automatically.

Inkbit’s technology demonstrates the potential future of electronics 3D printing, having already tackled the ability to fabricate complete, functional objects with a single build process, though there is are a number of hurdles to overcome, not the least of which is automation. In our next post in the series, we will look at the myriad research endeavors currently being pursued to expand the capabilities of present electronics 3D printing technology.

The post Electronics 3D Printing Part Three: Inkjet 3D Printing appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

REHAU successful in 3D printing electronic touch sensor using DragonFly LDM

Nano Dimension, a specialist in AM electronics, and REHAU, a leading polymer manufacturer, have announced the successful 3D printing of a 3D touch sensor. Using Nano Dimension’s specialized DragonFly LDM (Lights-out Digital Manufacturing) 3D printer, REHAU was able to functionalize one of its premium polymer materials via the integration of an AM electronic circuit. Yoav […]

New 3D printing jobs: BigRep, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Mogassam

Looking for a new job in 3D printing? A host of new opportunities are now open through 3D Printing Industry. In 3D Printing Jobs, we offer candidates and employers the opportunity to search and advertise vacancies in this rapidly changing sector. In this update, we have new roles from BigRep, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, and […]

The hype and rise of 3D printing and Avi Reichental

Avi Reichental’s Jewish mother wanted him to be a rabbi. While he didn’t take that particular path, during a long career in tech – prayer has certainly come in handy.  Now the leader of XponentialWorks, a combination of venture fund, advisory firm and product developer, the 3D printing industry veteran has seen it all, from […]

Nano Dimension to develop 3D printed electronics with South Korean tech hub

3D printed electronics provider Nano Dimension, headquartered in Israel, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Korean technology innovation hub Chungbuk Technopark (CBTP). A multi-year agreement, the two organizations will work to streamline the electronics manufacturing process chain. Products of the collaboration will benefit various areas of the region’s electronics industry, covering consumer goods, […]

3D Printing News Sliced: Makerbot, 3D Systems, GE Additive, EOS, ColorFabb, TU Delft, SUTD, AMT

This edition of the 3D Printing Industry’s news digest, Sliced, sees a variety of hardware and material releases from Dyze Design, 3D Systems, colorFabb, and EOS, as well as new 3D printing applications in brewing and underwater drones.   All this and more from GE Additive, The Toro Company, Delft University of Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, Additive Manufacturing Technologies, and Singapore University […]