K. Church
nScrypt Inc.,
United States
Keywords: 3D printing
Summary:
3D printing has established itself as a real option for a number of plastic, composite and metal parts. The advantages of rapid, unique shapes and fabricated parts that cannot be manufactured using traditional techniques have moved this technology from making novel parts to critical parts. The history of 3D printing dates back about 40 years and these years have matured hardware, software, materials and users. 3D printed electronics is about 20 years behind. There has been a lot of leverage from 3D printing and printed electronics which will help move the timeline for maturity. However, the hardware, software, materials and users as directed toward 3D electronics are still the driving forces which will move this from novel to critical. The advantages of 3D electronic parts are numerous, but two critical features must exist before these advantages can be realized: state of the art function and speed to 3D manufacture. This talk will cover the state of the four areas and show several demonstrations of 3D printed electronic parts. Additionally, this talk will cover the timeline to achieve enhanced function and how manufacturing speeds for high volume will be achieved.