May 3 2013
Methode Development Company (MDC), a division of Methode Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: MEI), a global developer of custom engineered and application specific products and solutions, announced the release of an improved development kit that allows engineers to create functional electrical circuits with a piezo electric printhead inkjet desktop printer, eliminating tooling and reducing development time.
Methode's water-based and RoHS compliant 9100 conductive inkjet platform is formulated for thermal and piezo inkjet printing systems. The digital inkjet printing method enables circuit pattern and variable data experimentation right at a designer's desk.
The kit includes an Epson printer, three types of sample substrates, silver ink cartridges with 9101 or 9102 conductive ink, a printer maintenance kit and an owner's manual. The cartridge simply replaces the existing black cartridge on the desktop printer. The price of the kit is $900 with replacement 9100 ink cartridges and additional substrate also available.
The conductive properties of the ink are well suited for the growing printed electronics market, which reached $2.3 billion in sales for conductive inks in 2012 according to IDTechEx. Inkjet printing provides the efficiency and cost effective manufacturing that security printing, RFID, signage, displays, backplane, photovoltaic and security markets require. The ink has electrical resistance as low as 0.05 ohms per square when printed with MDC's Epson based printer.
General Manager Al Chiappetta said, "This new and improved development kit is the result of continuous improvement of all aspects of our printed electronic solutions, from the ink formulations to substrate and process optimization. By working closely with our customers, we have developed a solution that is efficient and cost effective."
For more information about the new development kit, please visit www.methode.com/inks.
MDC will showcase the new kit and its full range of printed electronics solutions and capabilities at the Printed Electronics USA 2013 trade show at the Santa Clara Convention Center in San Jose, CA, on November 20 and 21, 2013.