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Preliminary agenda* of the 3D Electronics Forum 2020

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

9:00 AM
Registration
9:40 AM
Welcome and Opening
Speaker: Johann Wiesböck | Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG
9:45 AM
Keynote: Electronics goes 3D – From Printed electronics to 3D structural electronics more
Printed Electronics is a platform technology to achieve thin, flexible, and lightweight functional components and systems. It is based on specific plastic and metal materials; the production technologies complement with additive manufacturing methods. Printed Electronics uses various adapted Roll-to-Roll and sheet fed processes like offset, gravure or inkjet printing for manufacturing.

3D printed electronics combines the printed electronics production processes with 3D printing methods to enables new geometries, formats, and applications. The integration and combination of different components, the mechanic and electric and electronic interfaces require competence and experience. The target is electronics which fit to 3D shapes to achieve user interfaces with 3D surface or highly integrated compact electronics.
The paper includes an introduction, overview of the state of the art of the technology and a view on roadmaps like the OE-A roadmap (organic and printed electronics association) for existing and future applications printed electronics and 3D structural electronics and functions.
Speaker: Wolfgang Mildner | MSWtech

Wolfgang Mildner is Founder and Owner of MSWtech in Stein / Germany. MSWtech supports companies and other organizations to find value in new technologies – especially printed electronics. Wolfgang was Managing Director of PolyIC (a leading company for Printed electronics) from 2004 – 2014. Before Wolfgang Mildner worked in various business positions for Siemens (New business development, Business responsible for Industrial PC’s, Failsafe PLC’s and other). Wolfgang Mildner was responsible for a number of projects turning promising technologies into business. Wolfgang Mildner studied and achieved Diploma for Computer Science at the Technical University of Erlangen.

10:30 AM
Scalable 3D Printed Electronics - from “Fully Additive” to High Volume more
This presentation will review the state-of-the-art related to the production of 3D mechatronic systems using Additive Manufacturing (AM) and review developments for scaling the processes through all stages, from one off prototyping to high volume manufacture. A reconfigurable array of structural and electronics printing, pre- and post processing techniques are combined with SMD technologies to enable digitally driven 3D electronics manufacturing. The resultant flexible process chains can be easily reconfigured to cope with rapid changes in product type whilst retaining the ability to be scaled through to high volume manufacture. Selection of the most appropriate print, pre- and post-processing methods with the subsequent effect on process speed and cost will be discussed. A review of current applications, spanning 3D electronic circuits, antenna, sensor and heater patterns will be conducted along with an update on the progression to First-Time-Right manufacture of complex devices.

Speaker: Martin Hedges | Neotech AMT
11:05 AM
Coffee Break and Exhibition
11:45 AM
New Generation of Electrically Conductive and Non-Conductive Materials for In Mold Electronics more
In Mold Electronics (IME) gain popularity. It offers new dimensions in an increasing electrical world. Smart surfaces and displays and more design freedom are key drivers for the technology. The automotive industry is leading because of the increasing growth of the electrical vehicles. Other industries will follow. IME need a new generation electrically conductive and non-conductive materials. There are already electrically conductive inks for IME on the market, but there is a need for higher conductivity and inks which can withstand higher deformations.

This presentation describes the development of a complete set of inks for thermoformable applications, silver ink, carbon ink and dielectric ink. Optimization of formulation and compatibility with other materials such as graphic ink layers and various substrates is investigated to enable us to present a complete solution for In Mold Structural Electronics.
Speaker: Rudie Oldenzijl | Henkel Corporation

Rudie Oldenzijl got a Master of Science in Polymer Chemistry from the State University of Groningen. After a few years at a small start-up, he started working on the development for electrically conductive inks at National Starch in 2004 in Scheemda, the Netherlands. This was followed by five years in the United States. In this period National Starch became Henkel. From the US Rudie moved to the Product Development team in Westerlo, Belgium. After another five years, Henkel started the Printed Electronics Incubator. Rudie became a member of this team and moved back to Scheemda in the Netherlands where he is still working on the development of conductive inks.

12:20 PM
3D touch panel for an automotive door control unit more
Touch sensors are substituting more and more mechanical switches in the automotive area and enable a seamless setup and a new freedom of design where switches and decorative surfaces merge together. Kunststoff Helmbrechts together with Leonhard Kurz, PolyIC and Ge-T demonstrate a 3D capacitive touch panel with hidden till lit symbols and haptic feedback as a state of the art solution for automotive switches. Instead of a mechanical switch assembled with a lot of single parts the module is made out of just one single part.
The 3D form of the panel is a challenge for the integration of the 15 sensors on the back side. The integration became possible by the recently developed Functional Foil Bonding (FFB) method, where the sensors are bonded onto the panel backside by a hot dye with certain pressure. The panel is hold in a jig and the dye has the negative 3D form of the panel; by this the sensor is pressed into the demanded form. The bonding of the sensor is done by a primer that is applied onto the surface of the sensor label, and that is activated by the temperature and pressure of the dye.
Speaker: Christoph Ernst | Kunststoff Helmbrechts AG

Christoph Ernst studied plastics engineering at the Würzburg University of Applied Sciences. From 1985 to 1997, he was a member of the management team at Formplast Lechler in Nuremberg and worked in the toolmaking and injection moulding sector. In 1997, Christoph Ernst moved to Kunststoff Helmbrechts AG in Helmbrechts, where he is head of the sales department. During this time he was involved in the development and introduction of new surface technologies and in the expansion of business activities at global locations.

12:55 PM
Lunch and Exhibition
1:55 PM
Production of Functional 3D Plastic Parts more
The ARBURG plastic free-molding (ARBURG Kunststoff-Freiformen, AKF) process offers a production technology for the manufacture of functional plastic parts. The process begins with the melting of a conventional plastic granulate via a heated plasticising cylinder. Subsequently, a high-frequency pulsed nozzle ejects tiny drops of the liquid plastic melt, which are precisely positioned by a movable component carrier. In this way, three-dimensional components are produced layer by layer. With the open system, users can process their own original materials and optimize the drop size and the process itself. Alternatively, they can access Arburg's materials database.
In addition, this system also allows the processing of conductive material and fiber reinforcement. Applications for this technology include flexible and electrically conductive strain gauges. These consist of soft TPU material (Desmopan) with carbon components and an inserted LED. The two-component functional component manufactured with the Freeformer is flexible and at the same time electrically conductive. Depending on the elongation and thus electrical resistance, the LED lights up with different brightness. A practical area of application for such strain gauges can be found in physiotherapy.

Speaker: Frank Kynast | Arburg GmbH

Frank Kynast, Manager Additive Manufacturing at ARBURG, has been with the company since 2015 and is responsible for technical sales in the regions of Southern Germany, Austria and Spain in the ARBURG Plastics Open Moulding Division (AKF).

2:20 PM
3D printed micro-coolers for power electronics more
Ever smaller components, increasing performance and this with almost the same efficiency lead to ever greater demands on the cooling concepts. One way to meet these demands is the use of micro-coolers, which are manufactured from metal powder using a 3D printing process. This allows cooling structures and supply structures to be manufactured in a fluidically optimised way in the smallest space. The special type of production enables cooling capacities of over 600 watts per cm².

By using these coolers, components and systems can be significantly reduced in size, which is demonstrated using the example of a DC/DC converter. The density of the converter module could be extremely increased by the effective cooling and led to the characteristic values of 34.0 KW/kg and 52.1 KW/dm³. Another example concerns the cooling of components of a multilayer board. Here, a cooler with a thickness of only 0.8 mm was developed, which is already inserted into the PCB material during the production of the board and is therefore an integral part of the board.

In general, the 3D printing process offers enormous advantages in the production of the components. For example, all coolers are adapted to customer-specific requirements without incurring additional costs. Individualisation during production is also possible without additional costs, as no tools are required for production.
Speaker: Dr. Thomas Ebert | IQ evolution GmbH

Dr. Thomas Ebert studied automotive engineering at the RWTH Aachen University. He then completed his doctorate at the Fraunhofer ILT on the subject of "Development and Optimization of Microcoolers for High Power Diode Lasers". In 1989, the graduate engineer founded his first company together with two colleagues and took over its management. The company developed and manufactured laser systems for welding plastics. In 2006, he resigned from the management and sold his shares in the company to found IQ evolution, which he still manages today. IQ evolution is a developer and manufacturer of microcoolers using metal 3D printing

3:00 PM
Coffee Break and Exhibition
3:40 PM
From Additive Manufactured Solder Resist for Printed Circuit Boards to Functional 3D-Surfaces more
In the near future, the conventional way of applying solder resist in purely subtractive processes for printed circuit boards will be replaced by the technology of a digital, functional 3D surface applied in fully additive technology.

This presentation shows the approach for the gradual digitalization of printed circuit board production and its processes. An example of this is the new process of digital additive technology for solder resists, which makes it possible to implement customer wishes and special technological requirements. Up so far, this process is the first and only technology in the industry to offer the possibility of applying several layers of a dielectric directly, partially defined, specifically designed and with high precision. This enables a previously unseen degree of freedom in three-dimensional design.
Speaker: Jürgen Wolf | Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG

Jürgen Wolf (m) studied at the University of Freiburg. After graduation in 2004, he worked at the Institute of Microsystem Technologies (IMTEK) in Freiburg/Germany as scientific assistant before he got involved with the work on reliability of MEMS-based inertial sensors for the Corporate Research of Robert Bosch GmbH/Germany in 2005. Beginning 2008 he started working as project engineer for the department “Research and Development – Circuit Board Technologies CBT” of Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG/Germany and was announced “Assistant Manager Research and Development CBT” in 2012. Since 2015, Jürgen Wolf is the head of the product management "Embedding Technology", which deals with the embedding of components into printed circuit boards.

4:15 PM
Design of 3D Electronics with a Dedicated CAD and Layout System – Nextra more
3D electronics is gaining momentum since the technology of surface mount devices, flex and rigid-flex, and even 3D molded interconnect devices have become some significant usage in various electronic products. Recently, 3D printing seems to become the most promising 3D electronics technology around with also increasing acceptance. One of the most challenging hurdles for the main-stream acceptance, however is the question, how 3D electronics is to be designed.
While flex and rigid-flex technologies can be mostly be covered by somewhat extending well-known and mature 2D design and manufacturing processes, real 3D electronics cannot be supported this way. The presentation will show what the current technology can accomplish to design 3D electronics and will give an outlook what will be needed for 3D printed electronics in terms of design capabilities.
Speaker: Dr. Thomas Krebs | Mecadtron GmbH

Dr. Thomas Krebs studied Manufacturing Engineering and made his Ph.D. at the University of Erlangen-Nuernberg. He worked with ProSTEP in Darmstadt. He then worked with Zuken-Redac (now Zuken) and later with Mentor Graphics. In 2003 he founded Mecadtron, where he still is CEO.

5:00 PM
Questions and farewell of the participants
Speaker: Johann Wiesböck | Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG
5:15 PM
End of the event
*Program modifications reserved