Nano Dimension embeds components in 3D printed PCBs
Tomáš Zedníček
Posted On 31.1.2017
source: Electronics Weekly news
Nano Dimension, the Israel 3D printing specialist, has successfully 3D printed electrical circuits, in which it embedded electrical components, through placement, as an integral part of the printing process. The company’s 3D printer – the DragonFly 2020 – enables 3D printing of PCBs with conductive ink and dielectric ink.
Today, the company announced a successful proof of concept of PCBs inkjet printing, in which electrical components were placed during the printing process. The method presents several advantages:
- It improves the PCB reliability by maintaining the electronic components internally and keeping them from being exposed to the external environment, while protecting them from mechanical, temperature, and corrosion damages.
- It makes obsolete the soldering process since the components are embedded within the printed board during printing. The connectivity between components then takes place as part of the 3D printing process without the need for a mediating soldering material.
- The new process enables printing on electronics components without their complete packaging (printing directly on the dye), and consequently supports the creation of thinner, more protected PCBs.
This capability is expected to become supported in future versions of Nano Dimension’s 3D printers.
The company has filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for this development, which the company believes is significant for a wide range of industry sectors.
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