Communications of the ACM
Intelligent Electronics to Become Durable, Flexible and Functional Through New Technology
The roll-to-roll overmolding process developed at the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland has been used by the Printed Into Products 2 project to manufacture components.
Credit: VTT Technical Research Center
The Printed Into Products 2 project has manufactured products using the roll-to-roll overmolding manufacturing process developed by the VTT Technical Research Center of Finland. The process combines the printing, assembling, and overmolding of components.
According to project manager Tapio Ritvonen from VTT, the results indicate it is easy to overmold components assembled onto a flexible film into durable products. In practice, conductors, circuitboards, and sensors, for example, are printed onto a film, the resulting electronic components are assembled by an assembly machine, and the structure is overmolded with plastic.
The VTT researchers developed a printable and modeled transistor during the Printed Into Products 2 project.
The researchers say printed intelligence could be used to mass-produce industrial products such as diagnostic tools for the medical industry.
"When combined with hybrid integration, printed intelligence will revolutionize the manufacturing process of certain components and products, and it is very cost-effective and fast compared with traditional production methods," says Ilkka Kaisto, director of PrintoCent, an innovation center for printed electronics and optical measurement technology, which collaborated on the project.
From VTT Technical Research Center
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