2016FLEX Conference to Highlight Eco-System Developments

More than 600 attendees are expected to come to Monterey, CA to network, learn and exhibit at the 15th annual Flexible and Printed Electronics Conference and Exhibition (2016FLEX) at the Monterey Marriott, Feb. 29-March 3, 2016.
 
The event, organized by FlexTech Alliance, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner, features market and technical presentations, short courses, poster sessions, exhibits and more–all focused on the creation of flexible, printed, hybrid devices, including new materials, processes, equipment, devices and products. Flexible printed hybrid electronics combine the processes developed in multiple industries and they are all represented at 2016FLEX.
 
More than 120 presentations will form the Technical Conference portion of 2016FLEX. On the applications side, presenters will cover health monitors, asset monitors, advanced sensors, displays, advanced lighting, energy harvesting and communications products, from organizations including Flex International, DoD, Stanford, AU Optronics, PARC, SRI, IBM Research, GE, Eastman Kodak, Interlink Electronics and many more.
 
On the manufacturing and materials front, topics include integration of ICs on flexible, stretchable substrates, barrier coatings for components, OLED developments, biometric collection and analysis, power generation, roll-to-roll coating, testing and reliability measurement devices, and new materials for interconnections. Companies presenting on these topics include: DuPont, American Semiconductor, Sun-Tec, Applied Materials, ENrG, SmartKem, and many more.
 
FlexTech Alliance presents its 2016 FLEXI awards to leaders in the community at its Industry Dinner on March 2. Award categories include: Most Innovative Product, Most Significant R&D Activity, Leadership in Education, and a new category this year for Industry Leadership. During the dinner, awards will also be presented for the best student posters—as judged by senior industry members—on a flexible, printed electronics topic.
 
There are five “Short Courses” that allow attendees to spend three hours learning from experts in the field. The courses explore the following topics:
• Printing electronics on flexible substrates.
• Techniques for placing ICs onto printed, flexible substrates.
• Insights into how to assess products and processes for DoDs technology readiness level and manufacturing readiness levels (TRLs and MRLs) and how to move from level to level.
• Considerations when using textiles and other stretchable materials for printing electronics focused on fashion.
• 3D printing, or additive manufacturing–examining developments and trends of this closely related field with flexible, printed electronics.
 
This year marks the first time NextFlex | America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, will participate in 2016FLEX. NextFlex will give an update to attendees during the Roadmap Session scheduled for March 1, as well as hold over 10 meetings for its technology working groups, and leadership councils.