Screen printed heaters, precision digital plasma deposition, 3D AME, Screen printed medical devices

In this edition, we explore exciting breakthroughs shaping the future of electronics. Fernando Zicarelli (E2IP Technologies) dives into the design and challenges of screen-printed heaters, comparing resistive and wire heaters while spotlighting transparent heater advancements. Ram Prasad Gandhiraman (Space Foundry) shares insights into plasma jet printing and its applications in aerospace, tackling issues like adhesion and material performance. Shavi Spinzi (Nano Dimension) showcases the move from 2D to 3D Additively Manufactured Electronics (AME), unlocking new possibilities for compact, high-performing devices. Finally, Marco Galiazzo (Applied Materials) highlights how advanced screen-printing is revolutionizing medical sensor production, offering a cost-effective way to create wearable health-monitoring devices.

1. E2IP Technologies | Screen-printing Heating Devices: Limits and Challenges
2. Space Foundry | Precision digital plasma deposition: deposit multilayer structure without curing
3. Nano Dimension | Roadmap for 3D AME Designs
4. Applied Materials | Advanced Screen-Printing: Manufacture a Medical Sensor by Screen-Printing

The Future of Electronics RESHAPED USA  is TechBlick's premier event, showcasing the latest innovations in electronics. Join us at UMass Boston on June 11-12, 2025 for an exciting exploration of emerging technologies. You can find more details on the event website here.

EARLY BIRD rates are available until December 20, 2025 – secure your spot now!

Register here

1. E2IP Technologies | Screen-printing Heating Devices: Limits and Challenges

Fernando Zicarelli | 2024

This presentation will review the most common screen-printed heaters in Printed Electronics; Printed Resistive heaters and Printed Wire heaters. An explanation will follow on how each type of heater is designed, and a comparison between a Printed Resistive heater (PTC) and a Printed Wire heater will be shared. There will be a review of the technology limits and challenges.Finally, a quick review of the latest technological advancements in Transparent heaters.

What You’ll Learn in This Session:

• Why Printed Wire Heaters? Printed wire heaters are incredibly versatile. They can be customized to fit specific shapes and sizes, making them perfect for unique applications. These heaters are often designed with simple yet effective patterns, like serpentines or coils, for even heat distribution.
• Printed Resistive Heaters vs. Printed Wire Heaters: Explore the differences between these two heating technologies, including how they perform and where they’re best used.
• What’s Holding Printed Heaters Back? Learn about the key challenges, such as material limitations and design complexities, that researchers and engineers are working to overcome.

Download the Full Slides Here

2. Space Foundry | Precision digital plasma deposition: deposit multilayer structure without curing

Ram Prasad Gandhiraman | 2023

In This Session, You’ll Explore:

• Conformal Electronics for Aerospace & Defense: Electromagnetic invisibility for aircraft structures and drones, plus challenges like curing, adhesion, and thickness control.
• Plasma Jet Printing Technology: How aerosolized ink is used for precise, high-resolution printing.
• Direct-Write Technology Pain Points: Addressing issues like adhesion, manufacturing complexity, and ink performance.
• Plasma Deposition & Electrochemistry: Applications of plasma technology in advanced electronics manufacturing.

Download the Full Slides Here

3. Nano Dimension | Roadmap for 3D AME Designs

Shavi Spinzi | 2022

This presentation will describe the industry drivers for increased electronic devices and circuits performance and packing density and how multi-level and multi-material Additively Manufactured Electronic (AME) technology enables corresponding innovative designs and fabrication from DC to mmWave applications. The presentation will focus on AME devices including design, materials, fabrication, and testing. This technology provides for electronic circuits not only in 2D but also in 3D where connections can be made without vias, but direct wiring between the electronic elements. The wires can be shielded and unshielded. Furthermore, the fabrication technology allows for traces with different thicknesses at the same level. Yielding fully functional boards with smaller size and lower weight, as compared to equivalent PCB fabricated ones. The presentation will include also devices with chip first embedded active ICs. Components such as capacitors, coils, band pass filters, and multilevel Fresnel lenses exhibit superior RF performance as compered Surface Mount Technology (SMT) of components.

In This Session, You’ll Explore:

• AME Fabrication Technology (Nano Dimension implementation)
• The road from 2D to 3D designs – design examples
• How to design 3D electronics?

Download the Full Slides Here

4. Applied Materials | Advanced Screen-Printing: Manufacture a Medical Sensor by Screen-Printing

Marco Galiazzo | 2022

Developments in electronics and sensors have demonstrated the ability to manufacture wearable devices to remotely monitor human health in real-time at reasonable cost. A wide variety of smart sensors are now available, both on rigid and flexibRecentle substrates, to monitor the health and well-being of patients suffering from chronic illnesses. We’ve used our advanced screen-printing capabilities to manufacture medical devices: in particular, we studied and developed the realization of medical sensors entirely by screen printing. Thanks also to the constant improvements of the screen-printing ecosystem (paste, screen, equipment), enabling high processing yields and throughput, manufacturing of such devices by screen printing technology was proven to be a cost-efficient solution, compared to conventional microfabrication techniques, for mass manufacturing of healthcare devices.

What This Session Covers: Technical Case Study: Medical Sensors: An in-depth look at remote health monitoring technologies and their applications.

• An overview of the methodologies and materials used in innovative electronic applications.
• Silver Traces:Techniques for fine-line printing and the results achieved in precision manufacturing.
• Carbon Print:Insights into achieving optimal thickness by fine-tuning process parameters.
• Feasibility Analysis with Applied Tempo™ Presto™ Platforms:Exploring the potential and practicality of using advanced platforms for cutting-edge electronics production.

Download the Full Slides Here