Digital high-throughput flexible hybrid electronic manufacturing strategies

工业4.0和物联网革命旨在使用更好、更便宜的灵活混合电子电路进行智能传感应用，从而实时做出更明智的决策。基于丝网或印模的技术已经在工业中用于从柔性电子到紧凑单片混合电路的粗点胶或特殊应用。然而，这些成熟的印刷技术具有两个明显的缺点：（1）刚性配置，其中电路设计中的任何改变都需要新的硬件（支架、压模或槽模），以及（2）具有复杂的环境和安全问题的显著的材料浪费。近年来，数字喷墨打印技术在关键电子元件的快速原型制作、小批量生产和混合集成方面显示出巨大的潜力。与现有技术相比，数字喷墨打印允许通过简单地改变电子设计文件来即时修改设计，并最佳地使用昂贵的功能性油墨。然而，研究级喷墨打印机无法支持制造规模的生产量。虽然制造规模的数字喷墨机在图形和食品标签行业等消费市场中已经很成熟，但实现印刷电子产品功能油墨的大批量印刷仍然存在主要的基本问题。在这项合作研发工作中，我们的研究目标是与加拿大电子制造和组装部门的两个主要参与者密切合作（C2MI和Varitron）及其在Fujifilm-Dimatix的合作伙伴，以便（1）将数字喷墨打印策略从研究规模的Ceradrop打印机调整为定制的工业制造级高通量打印系统，然后（2）展示高通量打印系统。柔性电子线路板的批量生产与行业当前的组装和封装工艺兼容。

The Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things revolutions aims at taking better-informed decisions in real-time using better and cheaper flexible hybrid electronics circuits for smart sensing applications. Screen- or stamp-based techniques are already used in industry for coarse dispensing or specialty applications from flexible electronics to compact monolithic hybrids. However, these well-established printing techniques suffer from two distinct drawbacks: (1) A rigid configuration where any change in the circuit design requires new hardware (stencils, stamps, or slot-die) and (2) a significant material waste with complex environmental and safety issues. In recent years, digital inkjet printing technologies has shown great potential for rapid prototyping, low-volume production and hybrid integration of critical electronic components. Compared to current techniques, digital inkjet printing allows instantaneous design modification by simply changing the electronic design file, with optimal use of the expensive functional inks. However, research-grade inkjet printers cannot support manufacturing-scale production volumes. While manufacturing-scale digital inkjet machines are well-established in consumer markets like the graphic and food-labelling industries, major fundamental issues remain to achieve high-volume printing of functional inks for printed electronics. In this collaborative R&D effort, our research objective is to work closely with two key players of the Canadian electronics manufacturing and assembly sector (C2MI and Varitron) and their partners at Fujifilm-Dimatix in order to (1) adapt digital inkjet printing strategies from a research-scale Ceradrop printer to a customized industrial manufacturing-grade high-throughput printing system and then (2) demonstrate high-volume production of flexible electronic circuit boards compatible with the industry's current assembly and encapsulation processes.