One of IPI’s supporters, CST GmbH offers a factory tour close to the main event location. Transport from the hotel takes place at 14:00 and return is scheduled for 18:30. CST provides an inside view of the manufacturing facility of CtS systems and will demonstrate machinery for different applications. In addition, a commission engraving facility for rotary printing forms (Kesper Druckwalzen) and a machine manufacturer for customised equipment (AKK) will be presented. During the tour snacks will be served and there will be time for networking. You can confirm your attendance when registering for the conference.

Henkel is an industry-leading supplier of printed electronic material solutions and services. The ongoing trend toward an increasing number of smart, connected devices has already significantly changed our lives. Printed electronics make previously unknown functionalities possible, enabling us to live in smart homes, improving our lives with smart healthcare products, and creating smart solutions for mobility and connectivity. New applications within industries where printed electronics have not yet become commonplace are appearing nearly every day. Due to Henkel’s extensive partnership network, we are uniquely situated to provide high-quality materials for a variety of printed electronics applications. Our partnership network, with key players in the value chain, is essential to realise commercial success for printed electronics applications allowing to accelerate the go to market of smart solutions and product innovations.

The production of electronic devices is a quite wasteful undertaking. Starting from PCBs, where several process steps are necessary to generate a single functional layer to displays, where only a fraction of the precious functional materials actually make to the device. “Highest performance comes at a price” is what one often hears as an excuse for a wasteful production process. I want to show you that this is not true and that inkjet in particular and printing technologies in general play a major role in making electronics production greener than it is today.

An intensive research is going on in various fields of engineering with remarkable results in jetting smaller and smaller drops, using sophisticated fluids. Printing electronics, precise dosing of biological particles or building structural components are examples of these ongoing research activities, to name a few. New challenges arise when these impressive results obtained in the laboratory are to be transformed into production equipment. They end up most likely failing because of unrealistic targets.

In this presentation, ImageXpert will provide guidance for navigating the transition from a lab setup to a production inkjet process. ImageXpert will provide case studies from customers who are new to inkjet to showcase some of the challenges they encountered early in their inkjet journey as well as the tools and techniques they used to overcome them. They will also showcase the new dropwatching tool these companies rely on: the Inline JetXpert OEM; a Windows-based system that integrates drop-in-flight analysis into production printers.  

We are moving into a new era of industrial digital inkjet printing with increased printhead capability and high data rate drive electronics, resulting in faster print speeds and higher resolution.  When combined with state-of-the-art software, high image quality and productivity can be achieved.  The application of intelligent software systems is becoming one of the most significant differentiators between average print and superior print performance – in particular, software that is highly optimised for data rate performance, ‘hardware aware‘ and able to compensate for some of the shortcomings of printing systems.

Integrating inkjet printing into a Smart Factory requires a rethink in the software and hardware stack. If you’re planning to do it you need to build in capability that can deliver everything from mass production to mass customization at the same cost as current print systems. You’ll need a fully automated Digital Front End (DFE), connected to the rest of the production system via Industry 4.0 technologies like OPC UA, (the open standard for information exchange for industrial communication). This talk explains how to create the Smart Factory’s print subsystem using AI to power its components.

The future of printing is digital. Digital printing is the fastest-growing printing sector with constant need for innovation. It eliminates numerous mechanical steps found in conventional printing and affords easy print customization, short run efficiency and print on demand. In this presentation, we will show how our know-how and experience in the field of traditional flexographic- and gravure printing helps us to become a knowledgeable and reliable partner in the field of digital printing. For example, waterborne binders based on carboxylated amphiphilic resins will be shown to be excellent products for use as letdown vehicle in inkjet inks or as jettable overprint varnishes. By carefully selecting the type of resin, neutralising agent and polymer composition, properties like latency time and heat resistance of waterborne binders can be tailored. In addition, our broad range of formulation and performance additives supports other necessary characteristics for ink-jet inks such as pigment grinding, substrate wetting, surface modification and improved durability.

White TiO₂ pigments are used in various printing ink technologies and applications. The demand of TiO₂ pigments for digital printing inks is significantly increasing, primarily focused on packaging and textile applications. Moreover, we observe a need in the market place concerning optimised white pigments which fulfil the technical ink requirements such as an excellent storage stability level and highest opacity and whiteness in prints. To answer these needs, KRONOS developed a novel white TiO₂ pigment concentrate tailored for water-based inkjet technologies. The unique optimized TiO₂ product exhibits a wide range of compatibility with various types of ink binders and additives and is complaint with Swiss Ordinance and Nestle guidance regulatory. In addition we will present the KRONOS´ stage-gate process that lead to this new product development from an idea to the final launch of KRONOS 9900.

Functional hardcoats are used in plastics manufacturing to provide scratch, abrasion and chemical resistance, easy-to-clean properties and long-term weather protection. They are widely used to protect plastic parts in industries including automotive, construction and electronics. Hardcoats have traditionally been applied using conventional coating application methods such as spray coating. New application methods, including digital inkjet printing, provide engineers with increased design flexibility and improved coating process efficiency. This presentation will give an overview of the performance of different hardcoat systems, application processes and provide real-world examples of industrial hardcoat applications.

Today the market and the distribution dynamics are challenging the production, especially the printing. Water-based inkjet offers many digital advantages for the print production of packaging and decorative elements. The design of the inkjet consumables is triggered by the print system as well as the performance demands. Two inspiring cases of inkjet production printing will be explained in view of above elements.

During the development and integration of inkjet printing onto various decorative products we often face the issue of a too narrow development approach. People are looking for the correct printhead, the correct ink, the best printer, the best printing technique or the best pre-treatment. By our experience it is mandatory to look at the full picture and to use every tool that we can get our hands on to make challenging inkjet applications successful. We are going to explain our approach and show how it was working on a real case study of inkjet printing with inkjet inks onto a plastic material in a roll-to-roll operation.

Robots are ideal for processes and applications which require 3D functionality, high flexibility and open interfaces. One of those applications is printing and 3D additive manufacturing. But today we do not see robots that often in these processes. In this presentation we point out the challenges (e.g. transferring 3D data into robot programmes) and the existing possibilities to overcome them, from software tools that can help the integration of the robot to applications examples.

This session explains Marabu’s outstanding forward thinking on megatrends. We will speak about personalisation and sustainability and how the direct-to-shape printing technology fits both worlds – digital and screen printing. We will provide insights to the benefits UV has to offer. With our technology we can reduce CO2 emission to less than 5%. The new printed embossing technology offers a great opportunity for new design options and to fulfill the demand on personalisation compared to conventional embossing designs. The finest contours and points can be realised with it. In combination with standard Ultra Jet inks like DUV-C and Ultra Glass LEDGL, designers are able to combine visual and haptic decoration. Printing layer after layer increases the depth effect possibilities. That gives designers a totally new decoration opportunity.

In this presentation, two of Fujifilm's experts in ink will explore the considerations to be made around choosing the right ink technology and approach for success in industrial applications, comparing digital inkjet and analogue processes.

By combining radiation technology in a broad wave spectrum and targeted, controlled air flow, highly efficient drying and curing applications are implemented in the fields of analogue and digital printing. Applications and the range of requirements are changing enormously. The use of new materials, substrates and ink systems is constantly making new combinations of applications possible. Both single-pass and multi-pass applications show that more efficient system concepts can be implemented with these combined drying units. High energy densities with balanced temperature adjustment offer new approaches for machine concepts, especially for printed electronics, as the deep penetration of the drying energy reduces the drying time to a minimum, even with different layer thicknesses. Thanks to the monitoring elements in the control units, emitter systems from Lambda Technology GmbH are well prepared for use with Industry 4.0. The result is a digital drying technology in which all components can be controlled and monitored. The decisive advantage of Lambda‘s drying technology for a wide range of aqueous and solvent-based applications in printing technology is the possible operation in 24/7, and that also for printing applications with very high throughputs.

This presentation introduces the basics of UV LED curing and how the technology is being used in the industry. We will highlight the advantages of integrating the technology into your process and discuss the importance of collaboration and transparency to avoid some of the pitfalls.

adphos aNIR-technology is a versatile technology that enables a wide variety of thermal processes. Controlling the extremely high available power is the key. In some configurations aNIR is capable to evaporate water from temperature-sensitive surfaces like plastic film, and in others aNIR can be used to melt metal. adphos aNIR can be found in printing flexible packaging, sintering conductive inks, drying battery electrodes, 3D-formimg / additive manufacturing and many more applications. aNIR is adaptable to inkjet-, screen, flexo- or rotogravure-printing. With key features such as the smallest possible footprint and the highest energy efficiency, the aNIR-technology is powered by electricity and can be used with zero emissions. “What makes aNIR so special?” We will give a short introduction to the subject followed by a variety of different applications demonstrating the versatility and the power of the aNIR light.

An inside view of the dynamic Computer-to-Screen technology in industrial screen printing applications, and its improvements with automation.

The presentation focuses on high modulus polyester mesh and shows its influence on the screen printing process. We will emphasise the impact of key mesh parameters on print outcome. We will explain mesh geometry and the influence of the surface. In particular, we will highlight the advantages of open mesh characteristic.

Screen automation and technology (CtS) means “clever screen”. The presentation will discuss trends in screen printing and solutions to reduce the costs per screen, increase the output and print in better quality. In addition to CtS direct exposure it is inevitable to standardise and automate the screen making processes.

Waterslide decals are an effective technique to fulfil the increasing request of customisation in today’s industrial decoration processes. Decals provide very high quality final results by means of a versatile process, allowing the decoration of a plethora of pre-coated substrates, such as plastics, metals, carbon fibre and wood, also with curved surfaces. The aim of this speech is to provide an overview on the main application fields of waterslide decals, starting from the traditional applications (i.e. motorcycle helmets) to new domains, like sports equipment or motorcycle tanks and fairings. We shall present a list of possible solutions in terms of inks, printing processes and sequence of layers to realise waterslide decals with high quality and integrable with different substrates.

In this presentation, we will show how the “Digital SolGel” ink technology creates new markets and applications for water-based pigment inks, while transforming and disrupting existing markets, industries and applications. “Digital SolGel” breaks technology and chemistry barriers and enables the implementation and usage of water-based pigment inks in applications and industries which until now were banned from utilising such inks. Coupled together with their auxiliary agents, “Digital SolGel” inks enable broader usage of water-based pigment inks and contribute to the reduction of emissions, waste and energy consumption while opening whole new production possibilities for fashion, DTG, décor, outdoor and indoor advertising, packaging, wallpaper and other industrial applications.

At the IAD (Innovative Applications of Printing Technologies Research Group) at Stuttgart Media University (HdM), two government-funded projects are currently underway that deal with screen-printed sensors. One of the projects deals with 3D deformation of printed capacitive and piezoelectric touch sensors, the other with a screen-printed strain sensor used in a resilient 3D-forming process for carbon fibre mats to detect very high strains up to 50% and more in situ. The talk will report on findings from the two projects.

In recent years, organometal halide perovskite based photovoltaics (PV) have attracted great interest for their high energy conversion efficiency potentially at low manufacturing cost. Despite the massive progress made by the community at laboratory small scale (typically at ~0.1 cm2 cell area), manufacturability at large scale (~m2) with stability and reproducibility remains very challenging. In this talk, the typically used perovskite coating methods and solar cell architectures will be briefly introduced, followed by an overview of the current status of perovskite upscaling in the industry. The talk will focus on the highly efficient and stable perovskite materials and solar cell structure designs at imec. Upscaling of perovskite solar modules to 30x30 cm2 using industrial compatible meniscus coating techniques and vacuum processes developed at imec will be highlighted in the end.

People most commonly think of hybrid printing as a printing press that has both analogue and digital printing technologies. At Fujifilm Integrated Inkjet Solutions we see a broader definition of hybrid printing that opens exciting new options for the industry. To us, hybrid printing combines digital inkjet printing with a wide variety of different industrial production processes. This includes analogue printing, but it also includes packing lines, food processing, and package converting. It includes retrofitting inkjet into existing production lines to combine the benefits of modern inkjet with the benefits of long-standing and well-established processes. In this presentation, Stefan will explore our definition of hybrid printing and what we’ve found to be important to implement it successfully. 

Meteor Inkjet provides electronics, software, tools and services to the inkjet industry and is not active in the environmental lobby or marketplace. However, every company should have an interest in sustainability and, using Meteor’s own CO2 analysis and reduction actions as an example, Clive will present some thoughts on what every company should be doing, the carbon footprint of the inkjet process, the impact of the industry on the environment as a whole, and why the planet should be glad that industrial inkjet printing exists.

Innovative start-up Quantica has devised a new technology using a novel operation mode for piezo inkjet printheads aimed at removing the viscosity limitations of current commercial printheads.  Subsequently, a printhead using the new technology has been developed along with the necessary sub-systems for integration in a printer. The new inkjet technology brings a combination of advantages, the most relevant being the capability to jet extremely high viscosity fluids, combined with very high productivity per nozzle, very wide drop size control, and the capability to jet fluids with high particle load and large particle sizes. A family of 3D printers for advanced applications is being developed using the new printhead. Multiple other applications in graphics, construction materials, additive manufacturing and microfluidics will benefit from the unique qualities of the new technology.

Compared to other 3D printing methods (SLA, SLS, FDM, DLP, etc.) UV-curable inkjet printing offers enormous opportunities regarding functional 3D printed materials and high throughput additive manufacturing. By combining enough inkjet printheads with a sensible print strategy, one can reach higher volume throughputs than might be generally expected from this technique. The examples hereunder show how far the applicability of UV-curable 3D inkjet printing reaches:

• By using multiple in-line print heads in one print job, one can create multi-material objects in one go. This creates perspectives for making unique materials with the internal combination of different mechanical properties.
• By tuning the print process and the composition of the ink formulations, a perfect layer stacking and spreading of the inks can be achieved for producing optically clear materials with smooth surfaces and a specific refractive index. Ophthalmic lenses for instance have already been printed using this technique.
• Finally, the use of piezo inkjet printheads also gives the possibility to generate high-resolution internal structures within the printed objects. By using a support ink that easily dissolves in water after printing, one can easily generate very fine microchannels. Microreactors can be produced in this way.

This lecture will provide insight into how 3D UV inkjet printing works in general, how it can be used in various applications and how ChemStream explores this intriguing field of work.

The advances in printing decorative and functional layers bear significant potential to save material, space, weight and to reduce the overall complexity of products. Recent solutions for functional printing are focused on foil-based processing – driven by the efficiency of the roll-to-roll production this has been a sound base for the development of processes and initial industrialisation. However, the resulting solutions are still to be installed and assembled into products to benefit from the new available technology. Initial initiatives on implementing printed layers on 3D surfaces are rare and the results are hindered by the challenges to get the inkjet printing form 2D into 3-dimensional surfaces. Having worked deeply to stretch the 2D capabilities of available inkjet hardware (e.g. by overcoming high distance jetting challenges), Cadis and Manz joined to add and combine mass manufacturing perspective with the intense know-how. This led to the development of a novel approach on how to feed single parts though a digital inkjet system – not only making the process applicable, but as well enabling an efficient and high productive solution which offers benefits for process design and improves print engines. The novel material handling enables to transfer the quality and flexibility of a classical lab setup performance into mass production at highest productivity with up to 100% print system utilisation for printing on individual single parts. Within this presentation, the material flow principle will be explained and further benefits of the setup e.g. the ability to run high-powered NIR curing devices with active shuttle cooling will be presented. Our finding is, that various applications can benefit from this shuttle-based processing approach: from single parts through to sheet-fed and even web applications.

Inkjet printheads, particularly those with piezo actuators, are used to jet several classes of inks including aqueous, UV-curable, oil-based and solvent-based. The fluid viscosity range at jetting temperature, however, falls in a narrow range for most mass-produced inkjet printheads. This narrow range capability has served well for most decorative and graphics printing to date. In order to support broadening the application range for inkjet printing, increased jetting viscosity capability would be beneficial in terms of improving functional properties of dried inkjet printed materials. Viscosity can be increased by using higher molecular weight organic ink constituents and or by increasing particle loading (inorganic or organic particles). The former can impact the flexibility of UV-cured inks, for example, and can be particularly important for 3D printing. Viscosity increases via particle loading (where the particle itself may be functionalised) can be useful to achieve improved opacity, optical density, colour gamut, film conductivity (thermal and or electrical) and greater abrasion resistance. Increased particle size can also increase viscosity and can be useful to broaden the range of fluids that can be jetted, including those containing relatively large biological cells. This talk summarises the viscosity landscape for drop-on-demand methods, and then aims to increase awareness of printhead designs proposed in recent years having higher fluid viscosity jetting capability.

Printed electronics is gradually becoming a mainstream technology. Its versatility in terms of material choices, form factor freedom and large-area capability, have made it an attractive and viable alternative to traditional electronics in different domains, such as healthcare, consumer electronics, internet of things (IoT) and automotive. Besides replacing traditional electronics, printed electronics is also creating new applications that were not feasible until recently. In this presentation, an overview of innovations enabled by printed electronics across multiple domains will be provided, supported by concrete application examples.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) became state-of-the art for prototype manufacturing and is currently underway to be accepted as high-value manufacturing method for complex and individualised products. As the technology develops, an increasing range of novel products and business models can be seen on market, which are exclusively based on the potential of AM. Empowering AM technologies to make products with electronic functionality is just the logic consequence! A central field of AM research at Fraunhofer IPA is the combination of polymer-based AM processes and (micro-) assembly technologies. This hybrid process combination enables the integration of discrete electrical or mechanical components into complex additively manufactured components and their connection with printed or jetted conductive tracks. Depending on the application scenario, conductive structures can be printed in high resolution with silver nanoinks using the piezo inkjet printing process. To obtain conductive elements with even higher conductivity, highly viscous conductive pastes can be precisely applied via jet-dispensing.

TBA

As digital print technology utilising inkjet continues to evolve, the speed, width and resolution that is achievable today with modern presses has resulted in inkjet being able to meet the quality and productivity requirements of most applications. Often success hinges upon the suitability of the inkjet chemistry to meet those end use applications and to fulfil the needs and complexity of the interactions required during printing. These interactions often include working with analogue applied coatings as well as within the print engines. This presentation looks at some case studies where different approaches are required and identifies what is required to be successful.

Introduction to screen printing technology:

• Advantages of screen printing versus other printing techniques
• Conception of resistant and functional IMD/FIM panels
• First and second surface decoration
• Highly resistant, tactile (and case-by-case pigmented) protective screen printing lacquers for first
• surface decoration
• Second surface ink layer combinations, with optimized climate & hydrolyses resistance and improved interlayer cohesion
• Day and night design, dead front effects, ambient lighting
• Non-conductive blacks and silver color shades for functional panels and displays
• Choosing the appropriate black between carbon-free & carbon-containing blacks

Over the last decade, significant advancements have been achieved in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), which exhibit power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to ~18 % under standard conditions (AM 1.5) and up to ~ 30 % under indoor conditions via optimization of photovoltaic donor/acceptor materials (especially developing non-fullerene (NF) acceptors), device architectures, and D/A blend morphologies. By combining novel properties such as light weight, flexibility, or color design with large-scale manufacturing with low environmental impact OPVs have become a promising technology for next generation photovoltaic devices. However, the main challenge for OPV will be the transfer from lab-scale processes to large-area industrial module fabrication. High efficiencies in the field of OPV are mainly achieved for devices fabricated under inert atmosphere using small active areas, typically below 1cm2 and not compatible with real applications. In this context, inkjet-printed highly efficient organic photovoltaic modules are demonstrated by Dracula Technologies through its LAYER® (Light As Your Energetic Response) technologies under indoor illumination even for low lighting condition (<50 lux) by using new specific indoor materials and device structure. To prove the great advantage of inkjet printing as a digital technology allowing freedom of forms and designs, particular organic modules with different artistic shapes are demonstrated keeping high performance under indoor conditions. Reported results confirm that inkjet printing has high potential for the processing of OPV, allowing quick changes in design as well as the materials.

One of the benefits of using screen printing as a coating method is the large number of variables that you can adjust in order to get the desired results. One of the disadvantages of using screen printing as a coating method is the large number of variables that you can adjust in order to get the desired results! In this presentation we will explain and show how to get maximum control over the screen printing process and how to have your production machinery direct in communication with your MES systems.

Surface pretreatment with Openair-Plasma® plasma technology solves many challenges in various industries. In printing processes, the technology can achieve stable and long-lasting printing results on different materials, e.g. metal, plastic or glass. The cleaning and activating processes as well as the plasma coating process, PT-Print, are reliable and clean pretreatment methods. Inline capability, costs, environmental advantages, reproducibility and process security are only some advantages to other pretreatment methods. By using the Openair-Plasma® technology before printing, painting or lacquering products the usage of environmentally harmful primer is not needed anymore.

Compared to graphic inkjet printing where sufficient gas removal efficiency was almost the only requirement for ink degassing, different aspects of compatibility are of emerging importance for many segments of industrial printing. That applies for applications like food and beverage etc. where it has to be confirmed that the materials of the ink supply do not have any negative impact to the ink quality. That is also true for critical ink components e.g. for viscosity adjustment. Traces of those might pass the gas transfer membranes. These aspects will be discussed for the components of the degassers with focus on specifics of different applied membranes.

Filtration and degasification are key technology requirements for digital printing technology. The evaluation of these processes is complex with many influencing factors. They are critical for reliable high precision processes, which also results in reduction of waste and enables more economical and ecological operations.

TBA

Intelligent packaging is an emerging technology, aiming to improve the standard communication function of packaging. Radio frequency identification (RFID) assisted smart packaging is of high interest but the uptake is limited as the market needs cost-efficient and sustainable applications. The integration of screen printed antennas and RFID chips as smart labels in reusable cardboard packaging could offer a solution. Though paper is an interesting and recyclable material, it is a challenging printing substrate because the ink conductivity is highly influenced by its properties. In this study, the best paper/functional silver ink combinations were selected out of 76 paper substrates based on the paper surface roughness, air permeability, sheet resistance and SEM characterization. Next, a flexible high frequency RFID chip (13.56 MHz) was connected on top of screen printed antennas with a conductive adhesive. Functional RFID labels were integrated in cardboard packaging and its potential application as reusable smart box for third party logistics was tested. In parallel, a web-based software application mimicking its functional abilities in the logistic cycle was developed. This multidisciplinary approach to develop an easy-scalable screen-printed antenna and RFID-assisted smart packaging application, is a good example for future implementation of hybrid electronics in sustainable smart packaging.

In the Paperonics project, one of the tasks was to produce NFC antennas using standard printing processes. In this presentation we will outline the requirements of such antennas, see what is considered industry standard and compare that with results obtained when using flexographic printing with silver ink in one and in multiple layers. We will also consider the advantages and disadvantages of using flexographic printing for high volume production of such antennas.

Electrically conductive adhesives have been used for many decades in high-end electronic devices requiring long term reliability performance in harsh environments. Typical applications include semiconductor and passive component bonding onto ceramic substrates in defence, space, and heavy-industry applications, specifically in applications where CTE mismatch from the bonded parts cause problems when soldered. The intrinsic polymeric nature of electrically conductive adhesives make them more suitable for applications where CTE mismatch are of concern. Another advantage of electrically conductive adhesives compared to solder interconnections is there much lower processing temperatures. Printed electronic applications typically make use of low temperature substrates such as PET, PEN, TPU, paper etc. This presentation will describe electrically conductive adhesive technology, allowing reliable and affordable interconnections on such type of low temperature substrates.

Under the framework of Paperonics project, in Demo 3, a Temperature Threshold Indicator (TTI) was designed, manufactured, and successfully validated on a fibre-based paper substrate. The motivation behind a TTI is the ability to activate itself on advent of a trigger (acid in this case). This indicator/ detection system, as a printed label, can be integrated on a paper package box, for smart packaging industry. The first layer for fabrication of a TTI consists of a printed RFID HF antenna along with printed interdigitated electrodes (IDE) with a silver nanoparticle ink. The second layer of polyaniline – Emeraldine base (non-conducting) was deposited on the top of IDE structure. Screen printing, Aerosol Jet Printing, and Ultrasonic Spray Coating were used in this demo. As a trigger, a drop of acid was cast, which initiates the base layer into an Emeraldine salt (conducting). The irreversible change of resistances occurs and recorded. With a wireless RFID chip pasted on the printed antenna in the label, the read-out was performed with a reader and the TTI was successfully validated. This work is a threefold cooperation between the KU Leuven, UHasselt, and IMEC.

In this presentation, the application of roll-to-roll screen printing will be applied for the development of an anti-tampering package. To create a functional prototype also the integration of energy harvesting and storing and signage is investigated. For the energy harvesting an organic photovoltaic device is printed and the generated energy is stored in a printed super capacitor. The printed breakage sensor is connected to an electrochromic display at the front of the package to show if the package was opened or not. The printing of the different components, the final integration and functionality testing and aspects of recyclability will be discussed in this presentation.

Fibre-based materials are interesting substrates for printed electronic applications because they are temperature stable, stiff, printable and low cost. On the other hand, they are usually rough and porous, with insufficient barrier properties for sensitive devices like displays or OPV cells. Therefore, a smooth plastic film, that is available in reproducible quality, is usually preferred for printed flexible electronic components. That must not be. Specific coatings improve barrier properties of paper substrates. In this presentation, ways for improving the smoothness and barrier properties of paper by coating with organic and inorganic layers will be described. In addition, the integration of active species, absorbing water and oxygen, to achieve longer lifetime of sensitive devices will be shown.

Screen printing of electronic flexible circuits using conductive inks requires special attention in order to avoid failures due to shortcoming of electrical integrity such as break of circuit lines due to poor ink wetting or short-circuits due to ink over-spreading. In order to achieve thin regular ink lines, so far, screen printer hardware suppliers focused on precise mechanical fabrication of screens and ink makers made available to the market large palette of ink formulations encompassing chemist’s imagination. Despite that, the current printer’s achievements in production are limited to 100 µm line width, value which is unsatisfactory for future thin line applications in challenging markets like antennas printing for 5G communications, photovoltaics and batteries. In order to overcome these difficulties, NORCOP recently demonstrated the contribution of the substrate surface physics and chemistry impact for achieving thin line patterns with width much lower than 100 µm. Thanks to its Atmospheric Pressure – Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition equipment and processes, NORCOP introduces today its Substrate Customization Concept aiming to offer substrates fitting the properties of the inks used by the screen printers.