David Savastano, Editor11.17.10
Testing is critical for printed electronics. As with any industry, it is essential to know what products can do. If a company can simulate their product in a cost-effective manner, they can save a lot of time and effort in the process.
As NovaCentrix continued the evolution of their PulseForge® tool set, which processes thin films at high temperatures on low temperature substrates using Photonic Curing™, the company needed to be able to determine how to best tune the system’s pulse delivery, as well as to show customers how the curing process could be utilized for their specific applications. To do so, NovaCentrix’s engineers developed SimPulse™, a thermal simulator program that determines how the pulsed output from the tools affects the thermal profile of each individual layer in a thin film stack of the product being processed.
The web enabled software is essentially a virtual PulseForge system integrated with a graphical representation of the thin film stack being processed. It has been quite effective, and is now standard on the PulseForge 3200 and 3300-series tools. SimPulse is frequently used in support of customer application development.
NovaCentrix is showcasing the program as one facet of their exhibit at the upcoming Printed Electronics & Photovoltaics USA 2010 conference, which will be held by IDTechEx from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in Santa Clara, CA. The company will be conducting live SimPulse simulations at its booth.
“We are very excited about this software package,” said Stan Farnsworth, NovaCentrix’s vice president of marketing. “This is software we have been developing and using extensively for the past few years and have now begun using with select customers as needed. It won’t replace working in the lab, but we find that it can accelerate the development process and reduce the number of test samples needed.”
The NovaCentrix SimPulse is a tool for modeling and simulating pulsed radiant heating of complex material stacks. The underlying numerical engine computes all aspects of heat flow into, out of, and through the material stack. It will assist companies in optimizing PulseForge processing of existing products as well as designing new products that take full advantage of the PulseForge technology.
For example, it may be necessary to melt and sinter a metallic ink layer while strictly avoiding damage to a plastic substrate. The PulseForge heat pulse waveform control allows customers to optimize processing of existing products without modifying the material layer specifications. If you're designing a product from the ground up, it is possible to optimize the material layers to take full advantage of the unique PulseForge capabilities achieving remarkable results not previously possible.
Aside from SimPulse, NovaCentrix is also exhibiting new conductive inks and processing equipment at PE and PV USA 2010. Metalon ICI-020, the company’s new copper screen printing ink, is the follow-up to NovaCentrix’s award-winning copper oxide-based conductive inkjet ink.
Farnsworth noted that NovaCentrix will be conducting the live SimPulse simulations during the show with potential customers. “This helps in two ways: First the customers learn about the capabilities of the PulseForge tools, and secondly NovaCentrix learn more about how to adapt the actual tools via the simulation to add as much value as possible to the customers.
“The PE USA event is a critical event for us, as it is a venue for us to bring out our latest tools and materials developments,” Farnsworth added. “This year is no exception. We are displaying a print and cure PulseForge system integrated into a reel-to-reel environment, as well as a novel pass-through process chamber designed and built by New Way Air Bearing and partially funded by the FlexTech Alliance.”
“We partnered with FlexTech and New Way to develop this process chamber for web materials,” Farnsworth said. “When companies process larger runs, they place their rolls into large vacuum chambers, but for smaller runs, it is a very time-consuming process. This system fills a need in the market for smaller runs.”
NovaCentrix has been actively developing an impressive IP portfolio in recent years. In an important development, NovaCentrix announced on Nov. 1 that it received U.S. Patent #7,820,097 entitled “Electrical, Plating and Catalytic Uses of Metal Nanomaterial Compositions” from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
NovaCentrix’s patent covers in part the use of flash lamps to sinter metal-based inks and materials on low-temperature substrates such as paper and plastic and includes high-speed and roll-to-roll processing. This process is critical to the advancement of innovative new products in photovoltaics, displays, RFID, sensors, batteries, capacitors and smart packaging.
As industry recognition, NovaCentrix received back-to-back R&D100 awards for the development of this technology in 2009 and 2010 as well as recognition by IDTechEx in 2008.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this technology is its scalability and economy. Inexpensive flexible substrates can now be used. Furthermore, processing can be performed at hundreds of feet per minute in a roll-to-roll environment,” said Dr. Kurt Schroder, chief scientist and lead patent author. “In addition to processing silver, gold and nickel used in conductive inks, the high speed process can sinter easily-oxidized particles such as copper in an ambient air environment, thus eliminating the need for a reduction furnace or inert atmosphere. This room-temperature process enables truly inexpensive conductive traces for printed electronics.”
“Our patent validates and sustains NovaCentrix’s position as a lead innovator in commercialized printed electronics technologies including our PulseForge tools that apply Photonic Curing processing,” said Charles Munson, CEO and president of NovaCentrix. “Our customers may use licensed PulseForge tools in their manufacturing processes without infringing this valuable patent.”
PulseForge tools use the Photonic Curing process to heat thin films on low temperature substrates using novel flash lamp and power supply technology to deliver continuously adjustable, megawatt intensity, microsecond resolution pulses of broad-spectrum light. Unlike traditional oven technologies, the transient nature of the patented process heats thin films to a high temperature on low-temperature substrates, such as polymers, without causing damage.
With developments in materials and processing occurring at an increasingly rapid pace, Farnsworth noted that the market for printed electronics is indeed moving forward.
“A lot of our customers are early in their product development,” Farnsworth concluded. “Companies are taking a close look at risk and exposure, and we can show a clear pathway to production. A lot of the integration work has already occurred and is continuing to happen, and that is absolutely helping our customers move forward. As a result, we are seeing a lot of movement in the market right now.”
The web enabled software is essentially a virtual PulseForge system integrated with a graphical representation of the thin film stack being processed. It has been quite effective, and is now standard on the PulseForge 3200 and 3300-series tools. SimPulse is frequently used in support of customer application development.
NovaCentrix is showcasing the program as one facet of their exhibit at the upcoming Printed Electronics & Photovoltaics USA 2010 conference, which will be held by IDTechEx from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in Santa Clara, CA. The company will be conducting live SimPulse simulations at its booth.
“We are very excited about this software package,” said Stan Farnsworth, NovaCentrix’s vice president of marketing. “This is software we have been developing and using extensively for the past few years and have now begun using with select customers as needed. It won’t replace working in the lab, but we find that it can accelerate the development process and reduce the number of test samples needed.”
The NovaCentrix SimPulse is a tool for modeling and simulating pulsed radiant heating of complex material stacks. The underlying numerical engine computes all aspects of heat flow into, out of, and through the material stack. It will assist companies in optimizing PulseForge processing of existing products as well as designing new products that take full advantage of the PulseForge technology.
For example, it may be necessary to melt and sinter a metallic ink layer while strictly avoiding damage to a plastic substrate. The PulseForge heat pulse waveform control allows customers to optimize processing of existing products without modifying the material layer specifications. If you're designing a product from the ground up, it is possible to optimize the material layers to take full advantage of the unique PulseForge capabilities achieving remarkable results not previously possible.
Aside from SimPulse, NovaCentrix is also exhibiting new conductive inks and processing equipment at PE and PV USA 2010. Metalon ICI-020, the company’s new copper screen printing ink, is the follow-up to NovaCentrix’s award-winning copper oxide-based conductive inkjet ink.
Farnsworth noted that NovaCentrix will be conducting the live SimPulse simulations during the show with potential customers. “This helps in two ways: First the customers learn about the capabilities of the PulseForge tools, and secondly NovaCentrix learn more about how to adapt the actual tools via the simulation to add as much value as possible to the customers.
“The PE USA event is a critical event for us, as it is a venue for us to bring out our latest tools and materials developments,” Farnsworth added. “This year is no exception. We are displaying a print and cure PulseForge system integrated into a reel-to-reel environment, as well as a novel pass-through process chamber designed and built by New Way Air Bearing and partially funded by the FlexTech Alliance.”
NovaCentrix has been actively developing an impressive IP portfolio in recent years. In an important development, NovaCentrix announced on Nov. 1 that it received U.S. Patent #7,820,097 entitled “Electrical, Plating and Catalytic Uses of Metal Nanomaterial Compositions” from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
NovaCentrix’s patent covers in part the use of flash lamps to sinter metal-based inks and materials on low-temperature substrates such as paper and plastic and includes high-speed and roll-to-roll processing. This process is critical to the advancement of innovative new products in photovoltaics, displays, RFID, sensors, batteries, capacitors and smart packaging.
As industry recognition, NovaCentrix received back-to-back R&D100 awards for the development of this technology in 2009 and 2010 as well as recognition by IDTechEx in 2008.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this technology is its scalability and economy. Inexpensive flexible substrates can now be used. Furthermore, processing can be performed at hundreds of feet per minute in a roll-to-roll environment,” said Dr. Kurt Schroder, chief scientist and lead patent author. “In addition to processing silver, gold and nickel used in conductive inks, the high speed process can sinter easily-oxidized particles such as copper in an ambient air environment, thus eliminating the need for a reduction furnace or inert atmosphere. This room-temperature process enables truly inexpensive conductive traces for printed electronics.”
“Our patent validates and sustains NovaCentrix’s position as a lead innovator in commercialized printed electronics technologies including our PulseForge tools that apply Photonic Curing processing,” said Charles Munson, CEO and president of NovaCentrix. “Our customers may use licensed PulseForge tools in their manufacturing processes without infringing this valuable patent.”
PulseForge tools use the Photonic Curing process to heat thin films on low temperature substrates using novel flash lamp and power supply technology to deliver continuously adjustable, megawatt intensity, microsecond resolution pulses of broad-spectrum light. Unlike traditional oven technologies, the transient nature of the patented process heats thin films to a high temperature on low-temperature substrates, such as polymers, without causing damage.
With developments in materials and processing occurring at an increasingly rapid pace, Farnsworth noted that the market for printed electronics is indeed moving forward.
“A lot of our customers are early in their product development,” Farnsworth concluded. “Companies are taking a close look at risk and exposure, and we can show a clear pathway to production. A lot of the integration work has already occurred and is continuing to happen, and that is absolutely helping our customers move forward. As a result, we are seeing a lot of movement in the market right now.”