In a time of ever-thinner cell phones and even foldable displays, new techniques and manufacturing processes are needed. Electronic conductors are not only soldered, etched, or vaporized, but most recently, they are also printed.
Conductive inks are typically created by infusing graphite or other conductive materials into ink. Printing with this ink is an additive process that produces little to no waste stream which would have to be recovered or treated. It is formulated from various materials, including metal nanoparticles, conductive polymers, carbon materials, and organic/metallic compounds. Most commercially available conductive inks today are based on metal nanoparticles.
Conductive inks can be a more economical way to lay down a conductive trace when compared to traditional etching copper on PCB substrates to form conductive traces.
Advanced metallization inks have multiple uses today, including printing chipless RFID tags and transit tickets. They can also be used to improvise or repair circuits on printed circuit boards. Many newer cars have conductive traces printed on a rear window, serving as both the radio antenna and windshield defroster.
Conductive inks are suitable for metallization processes in photovoltaics, microelectronics, and sensor technology. It is possible to use a variety of metals like silver, gold, copper, zinc, or carbon and to print in multiple layers.
Today applications are limited to where flexibility is essential, and no parts are mounted on the surface. But we see increasing use in a range of industries, including:
Medical
Electronics
LED Lighting
Automotive
Solar Cell
Semiconductor
Below is a video of a 3d printer using conductive ink for printing a PCB board using silver ink for printing the traces and pads.
