Skip to content
  • The Student Engineer
  • C2I Awards
  • Salary Survey
  • Latest Issue
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Employer Zone
  • Covid-19
The Engineer
  • News
  • In-depth
  • Opinion
  • JOBS
  • Sectors
  • Supplier Network
Search Login / Register Primary Menu
Close
Login or Register
News Electronics & communications Manufacturing Additive manufacturing

New method 3D prints fully functional electronic circuits

9th November 2017 12:10 am 9th November 2017 8:08 am

Fully functional electronic circuits can now be 3D printed thanks to a pioneering breakthrough by researchers at Nottingham University.

electronic

The circuits contain electrically-conductive metallic inks and insulating polymeric inks that are produced in a single inkjet printing process where UV light solidifies the inks.

According to the university, the technique paves the way for the electronics manufacturers to produce fully functional components such as 3D antennae and sensors from multiple materials including metals and plastics.

The new method is said to combine 2D printed electronics with 3D printing to create 3D products. This expands the impact of Multifunctional Additive Manufacturing (MFAM), which involves printing multiple materials in a single additive manufacturing system to create components with broader functionalities.

The new method is claimed to overcome some of the challenges in manufacturing fully functional devices that contain plastic and metal components in complex structures, where different methods are required to solidify each material.

electronic

Existing systems typically use one material which limits the functionality of the printed structures. Having two materials like a conductor and an insulator expands the range of functions in electronics. A wristband which includes a pressure sensor and wireless communication circuitry could be 3D printed and customised for the wearer in a single process.

The breakthrough speeds up the solidification process of the conductive inks to less than a minute per layer. Previously, this process took much longer to be completed using ovens and hot plates, making it impractical when hundreds of layers are needed to form an object. In addition, the production of electronic circuits and devices is limited by current manufacturing methods that restrict the form, and potentially the performance, of these systems.

Prof Chris Tuck, Professor of Materials Engineering and lead investigator of the study, said: “Being able to 3D print conductive and dielectric materials in a single structure with the high precision that inkjet printing offers, will enable the fabrication of fully customised electronic components. You don’t have to select standard values for capacitors when you design a circuit, you just set the value and the printer will produce the component for you.”

Dr Ehab Saleh and members of the team from CfAM found that silver nanoparticles in conductive inks are capable of absorbing UV light efficiently. The absorbed UV energy is converted into heat, which evaporates solvents of the conductive ink and fuses the silver nanoparticles. This process affects only the conductive ink and does not damage any adjacent printed polymers. The researchers used the same LED-based UV light to convert polymeric inks into solids in the same printing process to form multi-material 3D structures.

The project has so far led to collaborations to develop medical devices, radio frequency shielding surfaces and novel structures for harvesting solar energy.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING NEWS

The Engineer Jobs

Visit the UK’s dedicated jobsite for engineering professionals. Each month, we’ll bring you hundreds of the latest roles from across the industry.

View jobs
News Awards

Learn about the power of collaboration at the C2I 2017 conference

6th November 2017 12:48 pm 20th February 2019 1:40 pm
News Energy & environment

UK researchers create world’s first country-wide land subsidence map

7th November 2017 12:56 pm 7th November 2017 12:56 pm
News Electronics & communications

Printable bacteria used for low-energy biosensors

8th November 2017 11:17 am 8th November 2017 11:17 am
Latest ArticlesComments (1)
News Energy & environment

UK public wrong on greenhouse gas emissions sources

26th February 2021 9:35 am 26th February 2021 9:35 am
LiDAR sensors
News Electronics & communications

Heavy rain hinders LiDAR sensors

26th February 2021 9:33 am 26th February 2021 9:33 am
post-processing
Opinion Manufacturing

Keep localised AM production local

26th February 2021 3:00 am 25th February 2021 3:53 pm
Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge
News The Student Engineer

SoluBlue wins Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge

26th February 2021 12:02 am 25th February 2021 3:46 pm
Comments
  • John Anderson 6th November 2020 at 9:07 am

    Well done Prof Chris Tuck, Dr Ehab Saleh and members of the team from CfAM. The future for this is enormous.

    Reply Link
  • Post a comment
    Cancel reply

    Threaded commenting powered by interconnect/it code.

    All comments are moderated. Click here for our guidelines.

Explore

  • SECTORS
    • AEROSPACE
    • AUTOMOTIVE
    • CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL
    • DEFENCE AND SECURITY
    • ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS
    • ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
    • MATERIALS
    • MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE
    • RAIL AND MARINE
    • ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
      • NUCLEAR
      • COAL, OIL AND GAS
      • ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
      • RENEWABLES
  • CAREERS
    • THE STUDENT ENGINEER
    • JOBS
    • SALARY CALCULATOR
    • SALARY SURVEY 2018
  • SKILLS AND CAREERS
  • POLICY & BUSINESS
  • VIDEOS
  • EVENTS
  • WEBINARS
  • CLASSIC ARCHIVE
  • C2I 2020 Winners Book
  • BACK ISSUES
  • NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
  • TECH TRENDS 2021
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Flip
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • Cookies
  • Digital edition
  • Magazine subscription
  • Privacy
  • Website Terms and Conditions

Copyright © Mark Allen Engineering Ltd (a Mark Allen Group company) 2019

Mark Allen Engineering Limited
Registered Office: Mark Allen Group, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, London, SE24 0PB
Registered in England No. 11569365