David Savastano, Editor09.15.10
The field of printed electronics (PE) is utilizing the gamut of printing processes, from flexo, screen and gravure to offset and inkjet. Inkjet, in particular, is enjoying opportunities in a wide range of markets, and Ceradrop, a Limoges, France-based specialist in the micro-manufacturing of components by inkjet printing, is playing a key role in this field, through its innovative equipment and ink as well as its wide spectrum of customer services.
Mathias Borella, sales and business development manager for Ceradrop, sees plenty of opportunities for inkjet.
“Inkjet is in a good position to improve a wide range of components currently made by others processes, such as screen printing, tape casting, robot casting: better accuracy, lower cost, better density, and only one step for all the component and all the materials,” Borella said. “Inkjet also gives an access to shaping many new nanomaterials that are just available as raw. It allows the making of new component for new applications in energy micro sources, energy harvesting, solar and MEMS; OLED, organic electronics, fast prototyping and micro-manufacturing also provide a big market.”
Ceradrop’s focus is implementing its technology in the ceramic industry, notably in electronics, energy, catalysis and biomedical applications.
Ceradrop’s advances are based on a patent belonging to the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), developed by professional scientists led by Professor Martine Lejeune.
Borella noted that Ceradrop’s history starts in 2001 with a material science R&D project.
“Prof. Martine Lejeune wanted to develop a process that was able to quickly prototype ceramics electronic 3D multi-materials components,” Borella said. “In this frame, Prof. Lejeune recruited Rémi Noguéra, a Ph.D. student, to build a team around this subject.
“Quickly, inkjet was identified as a promising technology to shape 3D multi-materials components,” Borella continued. “However, after important technical benchmarking, it quickly appeared that there was a lack of solution in terms of equipment. The requirements were a high accuracy in X, Y and Z, a high flexibility in terms of printing parameters, at least three materials (three printheads), a high printing velocity and a full compatibility with CAD files. The market proposal concerned modified graphical printers, and the user had to modify its process to be compatible with the inkjet technology (top-down approach) and we were looking for a tool able to adapt itself to the process.”
With this in mind, the decision was made to develop during the project a specific printer dedicated to these requirements. The main goal was to create process equipment that would be able to adapt the process to a component, a design and a material.
Borella said that the first prototype was developed during the Ph.D. thesis, and the first results also came during the same time, notably with the PZT pillars for echography probes.
“These exclusive results had a good welcome in the community, and some laboratories and industries were very interested by the technology,” Borella said. “In 2003, the technology was patented, and in 2005, the technology won the French Ministry Research Trophy.”
At that point, CNRS decided to develop the technology on the market by creating a spin-off in 2006, with Noguéra the head of the fledgling company. During the next two years, Ceradrop worked on several R&D projects with two main objectives: continue to develop the technology in order to provide a mature technology to the market, and continue to develop processes to provide it with its machine to customers. By 2008, the first CeraPrinter was sold, and in 2009, Ceradrop started to export it in Europe.
Borella noted that growth has been strong. In 2010, Ceradrop built its own building: a clean room with three machines for process development, a manufacturing zone, a chemistry laboratory for ink formulation, a mechanical engineering office, a software development office and a sales office.
Borella said that the key to the company’s growth is Ceradrop’s dedication to service and knowledge of the entire inkjet process.
“First of all, Ceradrop provides not only equipment but a complete work environment,” he said. “We have our own equipment and process engineers dedicated to work on customer projects. We have a chemistry laboratory to characterize and formulate inks for our customers. Our software development office continuously works on upgrades following specific customers requests.
“Secondly, our technology provides an exclusive approach to the inkjet process,” Borella added. “We start from the device requirements to define the process parameters (a bottom-up approach). The user has no limits to define its process; he has access to a wide range of parameters, which allows him to manage and understand the entire process. We make inkjet a real manufacturing process and not a modified graphic printing process. Our hardware is designed to provide a free process with a high level of tunability.”
“With this approach, our equipment is compatible with a high powerful tool that we call CeraSlice,” Borella noted. “This tool is a CAD software, a simulation software and a CAM software.”
Through the CAD software, the user uses it to design a component from nothing or to use and edit an existing file. Using the simulation software, the user enters some process parameters (splat diameters, layer thickness, droplet lattice: square, hexagonal) with a filling strategy, and obtains the visualization of the droplet filling with the corresponding strategy. With this approach, the resolution is an output data, not an input as is usually the case.
When the user is happy with its design filling for each detail of the component, each material and each layer, he can generate the manufacturing files with the CAM software. At each moment of the fabrication, the user can integrate some actions: wait a moment, take a picture between two layers or make a post treatment. This approach considerably reduces the development time and allows it to go quickly to a functional component. The user can directly define the right parameters for each part or under part of the component, for each layer and for each material.
“This approach is the key point of our successful technology,” Borella said.
Most recently, Ceradrop has been focusing its efforts on automation.
“In order to answer to our industrial customers, we are close to providing a production tool with a maximum of automated steps: automated jetting characterization with graphical report and backup compatible with database, automated working plan for quickly find the right parameters for a new process, automated fabrication analysis for manufacturing quality control and archiving, and of course, automated substrate handling for higher autonomy,” Borella said.
With its equipment and inks in place, Ceradrop is looking forward to expanding its success in the PE field.
“We believe the potential of our technology is really high,” Borella concluded. “This is due to the very positive feedback of our customers. As we completely overturn the existing solutions of the market, we completely change the entry data and make possible by inkjet what was not. We allow process engineers to have an access to a real manufacturing process. It is why we have a huge interest from many big industrial companies that are really surprised by our technology. Our next step is to transfer our technology on industrial mass production equipment and sell it with a process.”
“Inkjet is in a good position to improve a wide range of components currently made by others processes, such as screen printing, tape casting, robot casting: better accuracy, lower cost, better density, and only one step for all the component and all the materials,” Borella said. “Inkjet also gives an access to shaping many new nanomaterials that are just available as raw. It allows the making of new component for new applications in energy micro sources, energy harvesting, solar and MEMS; OLED, organic electronics, fast prototyping and micro-manufacturing also provide a big market.”
Ceradrop’s focus is implementing its technology in the ceramic industry, notably in electronics, energy, catalysis and biomedical applications.
Ceradrop’s advances are based on a patent belonging to the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), developed by professional scientists led by Professor Martine Lejeune.
Borella noted that Ceradrop’s history starts in 2001 with a material science R&D project.
“Quickly, inkjet was identified as a promising technology to shape 3D multi-materials components,” Borella continued. “However, after important technical benchmarking, it quickly appeared that there was a lack of solution in terms of equipment. The requirements were a high accuracy in X, Y and Z, a high flexibility in terms of printing parameters, at least three materials (three printheads), a high printing velocity and a full compatibility with CAD files. The market proposal concerned modified graphical printers, and the user had to modify its process to be compatible with the inkjet technology (top-down approach) and we were looking for a tool able to adapt itself to the process.”
Borella said that the first prototype was developed during the Ph.D. thesis, and the first results also came during the same time, notably with the PZT pillars for echography probes.
“These exclusive results had a good welcome in the community, and some laboratories and industries were very interested by the technology,” Borella said. “In 2003, the technology was patented, and in 2005, the technology won the French Ministry Research Trophy.”
Borella noted that growth has been strong. In 2010, Ceradrop built its own building: a clean room with three machines for process development, a manufacturing zone, a chemistry laboratory for ink formulation, a mechanical engineering office, a software development office and a sales office.
Borella said that the key to the company’s growth is Ceradrop’s dedication to service and knowledge of the entire inkjet process.
“First of all, Ceradrop provides not only equipment but a complete work environment,” he said. “We have our own equipment and process engineers dedicated to work on customer projects. We have a chemistry laboratory to characterize and formulate inks for our customers. Our software development office continuously works on upgrades following specific customers requests.
“With this approach, our equipment is compatible with a high powerful tool that we call CeraSlice,” Borella noted. “This tool is a CAD software, a simulation software and a CAM software.”
Through the CAD software, the user uses it to design a component from nothing or to use and edit an existing file. Using the simulation software, the user enters some process parameters (splat diameters, layer thickness, droplet lattice: square, hexagonal) with a filling strategy, and obtains the visualization of the droplet filling with the corresponding strategy. With this approach, the resolution is an output data, not an input as is usually the case.
When the user is happy with its design filling for each detail of the component, each material and each layer, he can generate the manufacturing files with the CAM software. At each moment of the fabrication, the user can integrate some actions: wait a moment, take a picture between two layers or make a post treatment. This approach considerably reduces the development time and allows it to go quickly to a functional component. The user can directly define the right parameters for each part or under part of the component, for each layer and for each material.
“This approach is the key point of our successful technology,” Borella said.
“In order to answer to our industrial customers, we are close to providing a production tool with a maximum of automated steps: automated jetting characterization with graphical report and backup compatible with database, automated working plan for quickly find the right parameters for a new process, automated fabrication analysis for manufacturing quality control and archiving, and of course, automated substrate handling for higher autonomy,” Borella said.
With its equipment and inks in place, Ceradrop is looking forward to expanding its success in the PE field.
“We believe the potential of our technology is really high,” Borella concluded. “This is due to the very positive feedback of our customers. As we completely overturn the existing solutions of the market, we completely change the entry data and make possible by inkjet what was not. We allow process engineers to have an access to a real manufacturing process. It is why we have a huge interest from many big industrial companies that are really surprised by our technology. Our next step is to transfer our technology on industrial mass production equipment and sell it with a process.”