Optomec Presents 3D Printed IoT Devices with Aerosol Jet Printing Technology

Optomec, a leading global supplier of production grade additive manufacturing systems for 3D printed metals and printed electronics, announced today that Dr. Kurt Christenson, Senior Scientist for Optomec, will give a presentation titled “Aerosol Jet Printing of Antennas and Sensors for  Smart Internet of Things (IoT) Devices” at the FLEX 2016 Conference in Monterey, California on Thursday, March 3rd. Dr. Christenson’s presentation will provide information on the utilization of Aerosol Jet printing technology for  mass production of a variety of 3D antennas, sensors and circuitry used for mobile and industrial Internet of Things applications . Material considerations and case studies will be presented, comparing Aerosol Jet printing to traditional fabrication methods. Examples of 3D printed short range and long range antennas, electrical and optical sensors, via filling, wrap-around printing, and five axis motion will be shown. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical devices or “things” embedded with the ability to sense, collect, analyze and communicate data. These smart, connected IoT devices take many forms, from wearables and handhelds for mobile users to high-value, electro-mechanical components that drive industrial power turbines and automobiles. While IoT applications are varied, the common requirement for such “smart connected devices” is an inherent need for sensors (“smart”) and antennas (“connected”). Emerging 3-Dimensional “Direct Write” 3D Printing approaches for creating antennas and sensors enable rapid design and prototyping, reduce manufacturing steps and associated costs, and broaden the choice of materials for producing smart, connected devices on target substrate shapes and materials. Optomec Aerosol Jet technology is a high volume printing solution for the production of 3D antennas and 3D sensors that are tightly integrated with an underlying product ranging from Smartphones to Industrial Components. With Aerosol Jet systems, customers can print high-precision integrated electronics onto 3D plastic, ceramic and metallic structures at extremely fine resolutions. Aerosol Jet is used to make consumer and industrial products smart and connected so that they can provide feedback to engineers to improve future designs and to service technicians to proactively maintain products based on their condition. This data on product performance, customer behaviors and environmental factors gives manufacturers unprecedented levels of insight, fundamentally changing the way products are developed, maintained and supported. Since life cycle costs of industrial products can be 10 to 15 times higher than the original equipment purchase cost, smart connected devices offer customers and manufacturers significant potential for cost savings and improved product performance. Optomec Aerosol Jet technology is a key enabler for smart, connected IoT devices:

• Prints functional antennas and sensors directly onto 3D parts
• Prints on plastic, ceramic and metallic substrates
• Eliminates environmentally-unfriendly plating & use of hazardous materials
• Reduces manufacturing costs by 20% over conventional methods
• Scalable for high volume production

Optomec Aerosol Jet technology is used by a wide variety of industries to directly print functional electronic circuitry and components onto low-temperature, non-planar substrates, without the need for masks, screens, or plating. Optomec 3D printed electronics solutions are based on its industry proven Aerosol Jet technology for printing conformal electronic circuitry and components onto 3D structures. The Aerosol Jet process utilizes an innovative aerodynamic focusing technique to collimate a dense mist of material-laden micro droplets into a tightly controlled beam to print features as small as 10 microns or as large as several millimeters in a single pass. A wide assortment of materials can be printed with the Aerosol Jet system including conductive nano-particle inks, polymers and epoxies, along with dielectrics, ceramics, and bio-active materials. Aerosol Jet systems are currently in use for high volume, 24X7, production of consumer electronic devices. Click here for more information on Optomec 3D printing technology for IoT applications. Optomec is a privately-held, rapidly growing supplier of Additive Manufacturing systems. Optomec’s patented Aerosol Jet Systems for printed electronics and LENS 3D Printers for metal components are used by industry to reduce product cost and improve performance. Together, these unique printing solutions work with the broadest spectrum of functional materials, ranging from electronic inks to structural metals and even biological matter. Optomec has more than 200 marquee customers around the world, targeting production applications in the Electronics, Energy, Life Sciences and Aerospace industries. For more information about Optomec, visit optomec.com.