-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSupply Chain Strategies
A successful brand is built on strong customer relationships—anchored by a well-orchestrated supply chain at its core. This month, we look at how managing your supply chain directly influences customer perception.
What's Your Sweet Spot?
Are you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche. What are their insights?
Moving Forward With Confidence
In this issue, we focus on sales and quoting, workforce training, new IPC leadership in the U.S. and Canada, the effects of tariffs, CFX standards, and much more—all designed to provide perspective as you move through the cloud bank of today's shifting economic market.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Opportunities for 3D Printed Structural Electronics
January 28, 2015 | Dr. Jon Harrop, IDTechExEstimated reading time: 1 minute

3D printing refers to the physical construction of an object from a digital description through the selective deposition of material. Today’s 3D printers have many limitations, but the boundaries are being pushed and exciting developments are continuously being made. One of the most promising recent developments in the world of 3D printing is multimaterial printing, not least because it is the key to the emergence of 3D printed electronics. Today’s commercially available multimaterial 3D printers are limited to providing a variety of mechanical characteristics such as rigidity as well as color and transparency, but the seemingly simple inclusion of UV curable conductive inks could make these machines capable of manufacturing objects that contain conductive traces.
This is naturally regarded by many as a direct alternative to traditional PCB manufacture and, in many respects, not a very good one. The logical application for 3D PCBs plays to the traditional strengths of 3D printing: rapid prototyping. However, the ability to lay down conductive traces inside a 3D object has far more potential. There is no longer any requirement to use flat designs. The added design freedom has the potential to greatly simplify circuit layout but will require a new generation of software tools. Furthermore, the natural evolution of this design freedom is the ability to embed electronics in the structure of anything. This is known as structural electronics.
Structural electronics is one of the most important technological developments of this century. It forms a key part of the dream, first formulated 30 years ago, of computing disappearing into the fabric of society. It also addresses, in a particularly elegant manner, the dream of Edison in 1880 that electricity should be made where it is needed. Structural electronics is often biomimetic—it usefully imitates nature in ways not previously feasible.
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
SINBON Celebrates Opening of New US Manufacturing Facility
08/21/2025 | PRNewswireLeading electronics system integrator SINBON Electronics Co., Ltd. held an opening ceremony on August 18 to celebrate its new 59,000-square-foot facility in Clayton, Ohio.
PEDC Call for Abstracts Deadline Extended to Aug. 31
08/20/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamThe second Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) will take place Jan. 21-22, 2026, in Prague, Czech Republic. The call for abstracts deadline has been extended to Aug. 31. Organized jointly by the German Electronics Design and Manufacturing Association (FED) and the Global Electronics Association (formerly IPC), PEDC serves as a European platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and innovation in electronics design and development.
Nano Silver Inks Market Forecast Report 2025-2030
08/20/2025 | Globe NewswireThe Nano Silver Inks Market is expected to grow from USD 427.415 million in 2025 to USD 836.160 million in 2030, at a CAGR of 14.36%.
VVDN Expands Manufacturing Footprint into the UAE to Meet Global Demand
08/20/2025 | PRNewswireVVDN Technologies, a global provider of software, product engineering and electronics manufacturing services & solutions, today announced it is setting up a new manufacturing facility in the UAE as part of its global expansion strategy.
Kimball Electronics Veterans ERG Members Proudly Participate in the 5th Annual Honor and Remember Run
08/20/2025 | Kimball ElectronicsVeterans and Military Service Advocacy (VMSA) Employee Resource Group (ERG) members Michael Mosher (Database Administration Engineer), Michael Stone (Test Technician Team Lead), and Joshua Belcher (Application Development Manager) took part in the 5th Annual Honor & Remember Run, a meaningful event dedicated to honoring fallen service members. The race featured a powerful memorial wall constructed from dog tags.