3D printing plastic Electronics

Think 3D Printing is Cool? How About Printing Your Own Electronics

Enlarged view of silicon chipletsThe history of printing spans centuries and it’s one that is rich in breakthrough innovations and societal impact – from block printing to movable type to xerography to PARC’s own invention of the laser printer.

What is not widely known is that all of these new printing innovations take advantage of the same technologies used in actual printers, such as the printheads; ink, particle, and materials management capabilities; and printhead control. Instead of the familiar ink on paper, it’s an all new “ink” printed on plastic, or glass, or really almost anything. Using semiconducting and conductive inks and materials, we can now print transistors, sensors, circuits, batteries, and displays. Advanced materials can be engineered to behave as a semiconductor, emit light, or sense analytes. In other words, we can now print electronic functionalities and PARC has been exploring a variety of printed components and circuits that are now finding themselves in applications from smart labels to flexible devices to wearable sensors. We are even working on making tiny silicon chiplets into inks, each containing entire circuits.

And, of course, we’ve all heard of a little advancement called 3D printing. With the emergence of 3D printing suddenly it becomes accessible to design and build both objects and (for now, fairly simple) devices. It’s the same type of process as we use to edit and print a document, and it’s all happening now.Example of a printed electronic lectronics has the potential to expand additive manufacturing to make things that contain intelligence. Ultimately the transition is more of an evolution – from editing and printing a document (traditional printing) to designing and printing a plastic part (3D) to designing and printing devices that include intelligence (printing electronics or integrated objects).

These new advancements hold incredible innovation and business-changing opportunities for many sectors, including printing companies and presses. With business diminishing due to digital distribution and e-books, there are new value chains and models for organizing manufacturing and distribution. The printing industry has the potential to re-tool their own existing set-ups and replace books with electronics. The idea of printing electronics can extend to both a large press or even the personal desktop – much like the equivalent of commercial printers and home desktop printers available today.

XYZprinting XYZprinting ABS Plastic Filament Cartridge, 1.75 mm Diameter, 600g, White
BISS (XYZprinting)
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What 3D printing means for China

by gnostic2012


September 27, 2013
Marcus Chan
In June, the South China Morning Post reported billionaire Terry Gou called the printing technology "a gimmick".
You might expect that from the founder of the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics, the Foxconn Technology's Hon Hai Precision Industry, which has huge factories in China.
The company didn't respond to a request for comment.
To get another view of the potential impact on China, I caught up last week with 3D printing pioneer Scott Crump, the co-founder and chairman of Stratasys

I havn't heard of wax, but there are chocolate

by Geometree

Printers. Personal 3D printers tend to be open source so you might be able to alter one to do wax-printing.
I think the electronics are quite programmable.
The plastic printers constantly feed a strand of plastic into a heated printhead. The strand rolls off a spool. Maybe you could replace the spool with a hot container of liquid wax feeding to the printhead.
What are you wanting to print in wax?

Inventors to bring crazy machines to Heritage Weekend  — Ballarat Courier
"We like to use electro-mechanic sensing, megatronics, robotics, 3D printing, electronics, moulding and remix these things into a kind of anachronistic representation of society," Mr Stevens said. "We'll also be capturing the likenesses in 3D of the ..

Maker Media, Inc Make: Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing 2014
Book (Maker Media, Inc)
  • Reviews of 23 3D printers
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Sans Digital BuMat PLAGY Filament 1.75mm 1kg 2.2lb Printing Material Supply Spool for 3D Printer, Gray
CE (Sans Digital)
  • 1.75mm PLA at 2.2 lb. (1KG)
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XYZprinting XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 3D Printer
BISS (XYZprinting)
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C&E CNE21888 3D High Quality Printing HIPS 1.75mm Filament (Grey)
CE (MarginMart, Inc.)
  • 100% New Compatible
  • High impact polystyrene (HIPS) is a versatile, economical and impact-resistant plastic material that is easy to thermoform and fabricate
  • HIPS is soluble in Limonene. Can be printed standalone, or as support for ABS. Easy to separate from ABS
  • The filament extrudes precisely for fast printing and consistent layering
  • 28 Vidid colors and options: natural, white, black, blue, green, yellow, pink, purple, orange, gray, brown, gold, etc.
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