Optomec Announces Improved Performance of Copper Inks for Aerosol Jet Printed Electronics

Optomec announced significant improvements in the ability to effectively print and post-process copper and copper/nickel (ie: Constantan) inks on its Aerosol Jet systems. The availability and support of these new, cost effective inks from a number of qualified suppliers will enable new classes of electronic devices helping to expand industrial use of 3D printed electronics for consumer electronics, medical device, Internet of Things and other electronic applications.
 
Copper (Cu) and Copper/Nickel (CuNi; ie: Constantan) inks from Applied Nanotech, Inc., Intrinsiq Materials, Inc., PV Nano Cell Ltd., and Kuprion, Inc. have been successfully printed using Optomec Aerosol Jet technology. Copper is a well-known material used in the electronics industry to manufacture components and printed circuit boards, while the Constantan alloy is an established standard for critical sensing elements such as thermocouples and strain gauges that are the building blocks of the Industrial Internet of Things.
 
To help drive the adoption of these copper inks, Optomec offers print recipes, as well as specialized hardware to shield these oxygen sensitive materials during the printing and curing process when necessary, though in some cases the printed copper inks can be cured thermally using conventional ovens already used in the electronics industry or through newer techniques such as flash lamp photonics or laser based curing systems.
 
“Our collaboration with Optomec on next-generation electronic devices has been a win-win for both companies,” said Richard Fink, president of Applied Nanotech.
 
“We are very pleased to be working with Optomec in a NextFlex funded program to develop Aerosol Jettable inks for printing onto 3D substrates. Preliminary results have been very encouraging,” said Mike Carmody, chief scientist, Intrinsiq Materials.
 
“Line-widths as narrow as 25 micron and one pass layer thicknesses ranging from 250 nm to 60 micrometer have been demonstrated using Optomec’s Aerosol Jet printing technique. Further optimization efforts are underway for additive manufacturing applications,” said Alfred Zinn, CEO, Kuprion, Inc.
 
“We are focusing on mass production in various fields, including printed electronics, printed circuit boards, antenna for mobile phones, solar cells, and 3D printing applications,” Fernando de la Vega, CEO, PV Nano Cell, said. “Optomec’s Aerosol Jet printers provide PV Nano Cell with a unique solution for applying our materials to meet next generation manufacturing requirements.”
 
“The general availability of both copper and copper/nickel materials extends Aerosol Jet printing to address our customer’s next generation product development challenges,” said Mike Renn, Optomec CTO. “Optomec’s Advanced Applications Lab has already begun using these innovative materials on applications ranging from embedded sensors, thermistors, and flexible electronic circuits.”