LOPEC 2014 Examines Opportunities for Organic and Printed Electronics

By David Savastano

LOPEC 2014 concludes today at Messe Munich, with today’s program, developed by conference organizers OEA and Messe Munich, looking at a wide range of topics, including sensors, OLEDs, 3D-printing, organic photovoltaics and much more.

Today’s session begins with the Plenary Session, which opens with JAPERA president Hitoshi Abe of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., who will discuss “Japan’s Strategy for the Growth of Printed Electronics Technology and Business. Abe will be followed by Bob Mackey of Synaptics, whose topic is “Metal Mesh Touch Sensors.”

Frédéric Bonnefoy of AGC Glass Europe will then analyze “Organic Photovoltaic in Building Applications. Glass Solutions for Zero Energy Buildings,” with VTT Prof. Dr. Harri Kopola covering “Printed Intelligence Towards Products and Industrialisation.”

The conference then heads into three concurrent sessions, two of which are Technical tracks. Track 1 opens with three talks on OLED Lighting: Eric Meulenkamp of Philips Technologie GmbH, who will discuss “OLEDs for Functional Lighting Applications”; Dr. Joanne Wilson of Holst Centre/TNO, whose topic is “Flexible OLEDs for Lighting Applications”: and Dr. Rahul Gupta of Cambrios Technologies, who will cover “Silver Nanowires: The Ultimate Transparent Electrode for OLED and OPV.”

Advances in Substrates and Materials for Printed Electronics is the focus of the second segment of Track 1. Dr. Jochen Brill of BASF starts the segment off with “Materials for Printed Electronics: Boosting System Performance and Processability.” He will be followed by Cambridge Display Technology‘s Dr. Jeremy Burroughes, who will discuss “Materials for Organic Electronic Applications.”

“Next-Generation Printable Conductive Nanotube Materials and Sensors” will be the topic of the presentation by Ramachandran Trichur of Brewer Science, with Dr. Bill MacDonald pf DuPont Teijin Films closing the segment with “New Developments for Films for Touch Screens and Printed Electronics.”

Sensing in Health and Wellbeing Applications is the final session of Track 1, with the following talks: “Opportunities for Printed Electronics for the Diagnostics Industry,” by Dr. Sophie Laurenson of Abbott; “Manufacturing Automation: Dispensing of Reagents on Biosensors and Rapid Diagnostic Tests,” by VTT’s Markku Känsäkoski; and “Printed Sensors for the Healthcare Sector,” by Dr. Laura Lopez of CETEMMSA.

Thin Film Encapsulation and Test Methods, Track 2’s opening segment, features three speakers. Dr. John Fahlteich of Fraunhofer FEP will discuss “Ultra-High Permeation Barriers and Functional Films for Large-Area Flexible Electronics.” Dr. Lorenza Moro of Samsung Cheil will cover “Environmental Barriers for Flexible Displays.” Dr. Giovanni Nisato of CSEM will then analyze “Comparing Water Permeation Metrologies.”

3D Printing and Digital Fabrication, a hot topic for printed electronics, is the focus of three talks during Track 2. Dr. Jan Sumerel of MakerBot Industries will discuss “Leading the Next Industrial Revolution. Prof. Dr. Juergen Stampfl of Vienna University of Technology will cover “3D-Printing with Light: Materials and Applications.” Alissa Wild, Stratasys, Inc., will analyze “Integration of Functional Circuits into 3D Printed Parts.”

Advances in Hybrid Integration for Flexible Electronics closes Track 2 of the Technical Conference with three presentations. Kari Rönkä of VTT opens the segment with “Assembly and In-Mould-Integration Process Development for Flexible Systems Based on Chips-on-Roll.” Doug Hackler of American Semiconductor Inc. will discuss “Physically Flexible IC Kit Enables New Product Development” Mike Clausen of the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) closes Track 2 with his talk on “Developing the Supply-Chain for NFC Enabled Flexible Electronics.”

LOPEC’s Business Conference offers insights from a wide range of people on where opportunities lie for organic and printed electronics. Turning Printed Electronics into Business is the first segment. Thinfilm CEO Dr. Davor Sutija will open this portion with “A Smarter Everyday Powered by Printed Electronics – Bringing Intelligence to Everything.” Bjorn Hofman of Merck KGaA will discuss “Partnering – The Key Enabler to Develop the Printed Electronics Industry.”

ISORG co-founder Laurent Jamet will follow with “Printed Electronics Moving from R&D to Products to Answer Market Mega-Trends: Internet-of-Things, User Interfaces for Consumer Electronics, New Health Care Equipment,” and Ross Bringans of PARC will discuss “Open Innovation Partnerships to Move Technology to Market.”

The Business Conference then moves into Industry Forecasts and End-User Requirements. Dale Pritchett, group publisher of Rodman Media and Printed Electronics Now, will open this segment with “The Elusive Business of Printed Electronics.” David Barnes of BizWitz LLC will follow with “Towards a Better Forecast for Printed Electronics.”

Martin Glatz, Karl Knauer KG, will discuss “Smart Packaging: Opening New Horizons for the Packaging Industry,” while Dan Rogers of Smithers will close this segment with “Solution Processed Display Printing Meets the Year of Wearables.”

The final segment of the Business Conference is titled OPV – Quo Vadis? Belectric’s Dr. Ralph Paetzold will offer his thoughts on “Organic Photovoltaics – Market Driven Business Approaches,” and Aron Guttowski of Heliatek GmbH closes the Business Conference with “Organic Solar Films for Active Integrated BiPV Materials.”