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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.
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Highlights at productronica 2025
10/29/2025 | productronicaJust a few more weeks to go before the anniversary edition of productronica. The world’s leading trade fair for the development and production of electronics celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall. From November 18 to 21, Munich will once again be the meeting place for the international electronics industry.
Better Sustainability Policies for Electronics
10/29/2025 | Diana Radovan, Global Electronics AssociationI joined the Global Electronics Association in August 2025 as the director of sustainability policy. Since then, much has happened in terms of geopolitics and in the development and re-envisioning of sustainability policies in the industry. While the European Commission has released several legislative packages to simplify sustainability requirements (“omnibus”), these developments haven’t yet settled and are not in effect. Given the many recent and ongoing public consultations, with often conflicting input from a broad range of stakeholders, final negotiations remain rather polarized among policymakers.
Sealed for Survival: Potting Electronics for the Toughest Environments
10/29/2025 | Beth Massey, MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsElectronics deployed in harsh conditions face relentless threats from vibration, impact, chemical contaminants, airborne pollutants, and moisture, conditions that can quickly lead to failure without robust protection. Potting, the process of encapsulating electronics in a protective polymer, is a widely used strategy to safeguard devices from both environmental and mechanical hazards.
Global Electronics Association Unveils Powerhouse Tech and Innovation Keynote Speakers for APEX EXPO 2026
10/29/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationThe Global Electronics Association announces its APEX EXPO keynote lineup, featuring industry titans exploring the frontiers of quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and the electrification of global industries.
MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions Announces Agreement to Acquire Micromax
10/29/2025 | MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsElement Solutions Inc, the parent company of MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Micromax®, a leading global supplier of advanced electronics inks and pastes, from Celanese Corporation.