Electroninks Launches Desktop Machine for Printing Circuit Boards

Electroninks makes high-performance conductive inks that are used widely in electronics and in semiconductors. The firm has now launched the CircuitJet IV. This is a new version of its desktop printed circuit board (PCB) printer. Unattended, the system is “consolidating PCB fabrication, plating, solder mask deposition, assembly, and reflow into a single integrated benchtop system.” This will be a very handy tool for prototyping and low-volume production, letting one engineer develop a wide range of PCBs and other electronics from her desk. The printer is optimized for the firm’s own inks. Their own inks can be used for dielectric materials, as well as for silver, platinum, gold, nickel, and copper.

Through confining all the relevant steps into one machine, this could be a convenient and safer alternative to more manual setups. Laser etching, through-hole plating, masking, pick-and-place, reflow, and inspection are all done in the nifty unit.

Senior Director of Manufacturing Systems and Platforms at Electroninks, Dr. Michael Bell, said that,

“The hard problem in rapid PCB prototyping has never been speed, it’s been trust. Many desktop systems can produce a board quickly, but the materials, substrates, and processes often deviate significantly from industry-standard manufacturing. Our goal with CircuitJet IV was to build a platform that delivers production-grade boards using semiconductor-grade plating, standard substrates, and workflows electrical engineers can rely on.”

The company will also let you submit a circuit before getting a machine, with Bell stating,

“We want customers to evaluate real boards produced from their own files before making any commitment. The earlier we engage with a customer, the better we can optimize the platform around their workflow — from ink chemistries and fixturing to software and process tuning. That collaborative approach is essential for scaling distributed electronics manufacturing successfully.”

Years ago, we had Brett Walker, the CEO, on our podcast, and we knew that the company was doing fundamentally interesting work. The company had gotten an SBIR award in 2014 to develop the CircuitJet. There was a further NSF grant to use its inks for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, with other grants from the Air Force and others following.

The company’s kit can be used to make things quickly and produce novel sensors. But, also for repairing aging inventory and in producing low-volume missing parts for missiles and the like, the CircuitJet can be invaluable. In the production of aging, broken electronic circuits and PCBs, the company can really make a difference for the defense sector. Beyond this, the device can really help researchers make novel electronic devices or help companies prototype new electronics.

With resilience and time-to-market always on people’s minds, this should now drive new interest in this product. With Nano Dimension selling its 3D printing electronics unit, the flag-bearer for 3D printed electronics is gone. But, quietly behind the scenes, firms like Advanced Printed Electronic Solutions, nScrypt, and others are driving capabilities and the market forward. Beyond the hype, there is real business in 3D printing electronics. Making low-volume electronics a real capability has unlocked it for cutting-edge researchers and companies. And repairing electronics for the military is a business worth billions. And then there are all manner of new devices, sensors, and other things that can be made through 3D printing. Even without the “we can 3D print our iPhone” hype, this is still a valuable business. And this business can expand significantly over the next few years. With smaller electronics, new form factors, and more competition, cutting-edge designs will need to be explored, and 3D printing them could be the fastest and cheapest way to do so. And beyond that, completely new devices could only make sense with 3D printing. We really believe in 3D printed electronics, and we see real growth, real applications increase, and real applications there.