Prime3D
Cheaper, better, printed electronics on any surface!
Q5D Technology is excited to be starting a new project, Prime3D, which aims to revolutionise the way that printed electronics are done: dramatically improving the performance and expanding the range of substrate materials whilst also reducing cost.
Current technologies like Laser Direct Structuring (LDS) are used to make plastics parts with very high quality copper tracks for use in: antennas, switches, connectors and sensors. It is predicted there will be a market size of over $1 billion by 2026.
The biggest drawback with LDS is that parts have to be injection moulded using expensive nanoparticle loaded plastics.
Prime3D will continue the development of a process we call Laser Induced Surface Metallization (LISM). This will make parts with similar to those possible with LDS, but with more performance, on almost any insulating surface, including high performance polymers like PEAK and Ultem, or vacuum moulded plastics, as well as glass and ceramics. All this, and far less expensive nano-particle material used.
Q5D will be adapting their 5 Axis robotic manufacturing cell to accommodate the sophisticated lasers needed and working with the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Taiwanese Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop the processes. The work will be demonstrated in sophisticated wi-fi antenna designed by AWAN (Advanced Wireless & Antenna Inc).
Prime 3D is the UK part of this Eureka project and is funded by Innovate UK.
Watch this space!