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3D printing electronic devices for the Internet of Things

One area Nano Dimension has targeted for growth is components needed to drive the IoT.

Nano Dimension builds machines for additively manufacturing printed electronics used in the medical, aerospace, telecommunications, defense, and automotive industries.

The company’s DragonFly Pro System simultaneously 3D-prints dielectric polymers and conductive metals.

The Israeli firm, which has an office in Santa Clara, Calif., has identified the Internet of Things as a major growth area.

Two key components make up IoT systems: sensors and connectivity devices (RFID tags and antennas). Both are electronic components that are multilayered in nature. Manufacturing these printed-circuit-board components layer by layer with copper etching or other traditional subtractive-manufacturing methods, followed by post-processing steps to combine them into a PCB, can take days to weeks, according to Nano Dimension.

“DragonFly Pro’s suite of nano-inks, 3D-optimized software, and high-precision 3D printer allows the entire process, from design to production, to be done in-house and in one single workshop,” says the company. “As the final product is 3D-printed in one automated process to its final form without the need for any post-processing, total manufacturing time can be reduced to a few hours.”

The company, whose tagline is “Electrifying Additive Manufacturing,” recently posted an interesting blog called “IoT and Additive Manufacturing: Towards an Intelligent and Connected World of Electronics.” Click here to read it.

A 3D-printed PCB for an RF amplifier, built on Nano Dimension's DragonFly Pro.

About the Author
FMA Communications Inc.

Don Nelson

Editor-in-Chief

2135 Point Blvd.

Elgin, IL 60123

(815)-227-8248

Don Nelson has reported on and been in the manufacturing industry for more than 25 years.