Manufacturing of Smart 3D Multifunctional Parts using Flashlight Sintering

柔性印刷电子产品由于其前景广阔的市场机会，最近引起了相当大的关注。根据IDTechEX最近的一份报告，到2025年，该行业的价值预计将超过730亿美元。由于物联网和低成本、轻量化技术的快速发展，在柔性和聚合物基板上制造金属电极图案和电路是一个关键的研究领域。多功能和多材料部件的三维制造可以创造更高附加值的产品，同时最大限度地减少制造足迹。这就是灵活和兼容的传感器和执行器系统技术比建立在刚性基板上的传统系统具有重要优势的地方。技术突破对于推动下一代传感、驱动和通信系统至关重要，这些系统依赖于新型材料和尖端设备来完成快速原型设计。

Flexible, printed electronics have recently drawn considerable attention due to their promising market opportunities. According to a recent IDTechEX report, the value of this industry is expected to exceed $73 billion USD by 2025. Due to the rapid growth of the Internet of Things and low-cost, lightweight technologies, the manufacture of metal electrode patterns and circuits onto flexible and polymeric substrates is a crucial area of research. Three-dimensional fabrication of multifunctional and multimaterial components can create even higher value-added products while minimizing the manufacturing footprint. This is where flexible and conformable sensor and actuator system technologies have an important advantage over conventional systems that are built on rigid substrates. Technological breakthroughs are critical in driving the next generation of sensing, actuation and communication systems, which rely on novel materials and cutting edge equipment to accomplish rapid prototyping.