Printed-electronics timer demonstrates flex electronics possibilities
A consortium of partners has created the flexible timer based on printed electronics; it consists of an electronic logic circuit implemented with thin film metal oxide transistors, powered by a printed battery, and integrated onto a paper substrate. It has four timing sequences and is designed for multi-functional use across four different applications.
Partners included consumer goods company Procter & Gamble, printed logic company PragmatIC, printed battery supplier Blue Spark Technologies, conductive ink and photonic curing equipment supplier NovaCentrix and Cal Poly, who designed and printed on the paper substrate.
Raghu Das, CEO, of technology scouting and events firm IDTechEx, states "We set out to create an integrated, fully functional device… end user P&G provided valuable insight into consumer requirements, which resulted in specifying and delivering the world’s first flexible multi-use timer based on commercially available printed electronics. A timer is one of the basic building blocks that will enable many different products in a modular approach. To reflect that, timers were created for different applications to demonstrate the wide applicability of the device."
Four different application sets were created: a workout timer, a cooking timer, a meeting timer and a children activity timer. Each has four individually controlled timing options, activated by bending or "dog-earing" one of the corners of the paper substrate.
The initial production demonstrates how new applications of electronics in novel form factors can be enabled by printed electronics. Follow-on manufacturing is already planned for later this year, including enhancements to the functionality and even greater integration of the printed electronics.
Conference attendees to Printed Electronics Europe will have the chance to receive the timer on a first-come, first-serve basis, after visiting the companies involved in the project in the tradeshow.
IDTechEx; www.IDTechEx.com
next; participating partners
PragmatIC Printing enables printed electronic logic circuits that introduce intelligence and interactivity into a wide range of products and applications, in form factors that are not possible using silicon chips. PragmatIC’s intellectual property covers unique device architectures, process techniques, and circuit designs that enable flexible imprinted logic circuits with compact footprint, high performance and low cost. PragmatIC Printing operates a pilot line at the UK’s National Centre for Printable Electronics, part of the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI). The pilot line supports customer prototyping activities as well as commercial production for deployment of new product concepts. PragmatIC also licenses its technology for higher volume production;
Blue Spark Technologies, Inc. develops flexible, printed, "green," proprietary power source solutions for battery-powered printed electronic systems. The company was founded as Thin Battery Technologies in 2002 with patented technology and technical leadership from Energizer (Eveready Battery Company); www.bluesparktechnologies.com
NovaCentrix, based in Austin, Texas, develops printed electronics manufacturing technologies. The PulseForge photonic curing tools dry, sinter, and anneal functional inks in milliseconds on low-temperature, flexible substrates such as paper and plastic. The tools process a wide array of metal-based conductive inks, as well as non-metallic and semiconductor inks, and are available with the integrated material and tool simulation package SimPulse NovaCentrix also offers high-performance, economical Metalon conductive inks, including ICI copper-oxide reduction inks which work optimally with PulseForge tools. NovaCentrix also offers printing services with our in-house inkjet, screen ,and flexographic presses; www.novacentrix.com
California Polytechnic State University‘s Printed Electronics and Functional Imaging programs were established in the Graphic Communication Department at Cal Poly and focus on conductive and reactive ink applications for conventional and novel printing of flexible devices; https://PrintedElectronics.calpoly.edu and https://grc.calpoly.edu
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