Optomec announced that Dr. David Sessoms, Advanced Applications Engineer for Optomec, will present at Antenna Systems 2015 in Henderson, Nevada on Nov. 5th. The presentation will provide information on the utilization of printing technology for high volume production of a variety of 3D antennas used for mobile and industrial Internet of Things Devices. In addition to Dr. Sessoms' presentation, Optomec will be showcasing Aerosol Jet printers in booth #12.
The company’s Aerosol Jet® printers enable the 3D printing of micron-scale electronics in high volume and in a variety of structural use models, including printing circuitry on other surfaces or products. The technology has been proven to meet the functionality, volume and cost demands of 3D antennas in mobile devices, and can also be used for the interconnect of electronic components within 3D IC or PCB applications.
Dr. Sessoms’ presentation is titled “Direct Printing of Cellular Antenna and 3D Molded Interconnect Devices.†Dr. Sessoms will discuss the fast growing demand for antennas directly integrated into products, including smartphones, wearables, and industrial IoT devices. Direct write approaches for creating 3D antennas, such as Optomec Aerosol Jet technology, enable rapid design and prototyping, reduce manufacturing steps, and broaden the choice of substrate materials.
Aerosol Jet technology is used to print a wide variety of materials, including conductive inks suitable for electrical circuitry and antennas. Material considerations will be discussed, and case studies involving broadband, Bluetooth, NFC and other antennas with comparisons between Aerosol Jet and traditional fabrication methods will be presented. Examples of via filling, wrap-around printing, and five axis motion will be shown.
The demand for novel consumer and military electronic devices that pack more functionality into less space is driving the need for advanced manufacturing methods that tightly integrate electronic circuitry with physical packaging. The unique ability to print electronics directly onto 3D surfaces, for example on a cell phone case or an aircraft wing, makes Aerosol Jet printing an ideal solution for reducing device size and weight.
Common electronic materials including conductor, dielectric, resistor, and semiconductor inks can be processed by the Aerosol Jet system to print conformal sensors, antennas, shielding and other active and passive components. Printing these electronic components directly on or inside the physical device eliminates the need for separate printed circuit boards, cabling and wiring, thereby reducing weight and size while also simplifying the assembly process. Device performance can also be improved by eliminating protruding components such as antenna, thereby reducing aerodynamic drag.
In one example, the Aerosol Jet system was used to print a conformal sensor, antenna, and power and signal circuitry directly onto the wing of a UAV model. The wing itself was 3D printed with the Stratasys system. The electrical and sensor designs were provided by Aurora Flight Sciences, a supplier of UAVs.
