David Savastano, Editor03.11.09
However, there were a few pioneers in the conductive ink field who predate the present interest in the market. One such company is Allied PhotoChemical, a Kimball, MI-based UV ink and coatings specialist that was founded 12 years ago with an eye toward creating conductive inks.
Allied PhotoChemical has enjoyed spectacular growth, earning designation as the 354th fastest-growing private company in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine, as its sales have doubled in the past year to more than $3 million. Meanwhile, the company has already made significant inroads into printed electronics, notably developing UV silver and nano conductive inks, UV dielectrics, UV phosphors and encapsulants for electroluminescent (EL) lighting, membrane switches for photovoltaics (PV) and security tags.
“We are selling into the PE market, and we are seeing new opportunities for development,” said Dan Sweetwood, Allied PhotoChemical’s vice president of sales.
Allied PhotoChemical’s initial R&D efforts centered on conductive inks, but the company’s leaders recognized the potential for coatings as well. While the company has branched off into coatings, the potential for a successful technological merger between UV and printed electronics has led the company to return to its initial roots.
“Our original founding products were UV curable conductive inks, many silver-based,” said Sweetwood. “Our founder had the idea to do silver conductive inks. He thought that it could be done, and we were awarded a number of patents. We produced silver conductive inks for the membrane switch market.”
As Allied PhotoChemical grew, the company moved into coatings.
“We found a way to cure a high loading of silver particles, and that concept applied to high pigment loads in coatings as well,” Sweetwood said. “We were focused on the coatings side, where volumes are higher, but we’re not approaching the coatings market in a traditional way, instead looking at coatings for metal and plastic. We seem to go toward tougher areas.”
The photovoltaic market is one area in printed electronics where Allied PhotoChemical is enjoying success.
“We’ve received a lot of calls from PV companies regarding conductive inks, and there are a lot of start-ups in various stages of development,” Sweetwood said. “A lot of people recognize the opportunities of printable PV. We are supplying products to some PV companies, and in the last 12 to 18 months we have received a tremendous number of inquiries in this market. There is market demand in this area that wasn’t there a few years ago.”
“Photovoltaics manufacturers are also interested in having the ability to produce their products more efficiently,” Sweetwood added. “Using UV, manufacturers can eliminate the long ovens, which really are counter to the green philosophy behind photovoltaics. PV manufacturers are going for a greener approach, and they want to be sustainable as long as it is economical.”
Allied PhotoChemical is also successfully selling into the EL textile field.
“The EL lighting market is rapidly migrating towards UV,” Sweetwood said. “Some opportunties in EL include flexible lighting, outdoor EL applications and EL textiles. We’re also seeing printed circuits in medical applications.”
Sweetwood said that utilizing UV can be a critical benefit to PE manufacturers.
“From a process standpoint, you can have your part immediately, and there is less stress on your components because you aren’t heating them,” Sweetwood added. “There are no VOCs, which is a big benefit, especially in areas with tighter restrictions like California, and other regions such as the Northeast are not far behind. The result is that UV is being more widely used today.”
Sweetwood noted that there is opportunity for a family of conductive inks and related products, including dielectrics and encapsulants.
“We have been actively putting efforts into R&D for formulating conductive inks and dielectrics for PV,” Sweetwood added. “Another area of interest is encapsulants, which provide UV durability, and we have projects under way that are undergoing testing.”