Welcome to the Silicon Valley Neighborhood: Nano Dimension Arrives in California

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Fried: I was just at the CPES trade show in Toronto and there were two companies doing 3D printing of PCBs. One company called Voltera is based in Toronto—a university spinoff. They print onto FR-4 for the hobbyists at home. Great solution. Bam, your simple circuit is ready. But, it's single layer for the time being, not multilayer. And, there is another company in New York called BotFactory, who have a printer for electronics. They're both great companies and they're very focused on electronics, primarily for the maker community.

Feinberg: I've heard of them. My first introduction to 3D printing with anything was a gentleman by the name of Bert Ohlig. His company made circuit board manufacturing equipment. Back in the ‘90s, when I was at Dynachem, we worked with them because they were making circuit board printers and we were supplying photoresist. He was showing me some 3D printing and he said, "You just wait and see. Within 20 years this is going to be a major thing. It's going to be used, maybe even to make circuit boards." I think this was about 1997, a little over 20 years ago.

Fried: That's amazing. You know, I always look at what's happening in the traditional 3D space, because it's pretty much a guide for what's evolving on the electronics side. Last year was the year that that industry shifted from talking about time compression and rapid prototyping to people buying machines and delivering products made with 3D printers. Whether it is polymers or metals there are enough stories out there where if you find the right application that solves enough of the problems in a traditional manufacturing process, then it's a no brainer to go additive.

3D is not for everything and it's not with any material. It's not for every type of customer. But, there are material sets that are available now, and the speeds that these newer, standard 3D printing machines can achieve has moved the needle. And, that threshold of where, "How many of these do I have to print before it starts to make sense for me to switch to injection molding, or higher volume traditional manufacturing?" is expanding, exponentially. What used to be 100 is in some cases today 20,000 or 30,000 units.

Feinberg: Circling back, this facility looks great. You now have a real presence in the States. And, it probably helps with the U.S. customers.

Fried: I would say it's a fundamental difference. These systems have been here for just two or three weeks from when we opened. And we're already seeing a lot of people coming just to look, to kick the tires, to get a sense of how it works. And, that makes it clear that the Bay Area is without a doubt the place for us to be. From here, we can throw a stone and when you go to pick it up you're at a potential customer's site. Many companies and industries are within fifteen minutes of here.

Feinberg: Plus, you have things like trade shows. People come to this area for trade shows and you can say, "While you are here, drop by. We're just five minutes away."

Fried: Yes, we're seeing people book trade shows and then come by.

Feinberg: Well, Simon, thank you for the tour and the time to discuss Nano Dimension’s progress—which is very impressive since we first met at CES a few years ago. I appreciate the opportunity to maintain a continuing dialogue as this new way of making circuit boards becomes more mainstream over the next few years. I look forward to covering your growth here in the U.S.

Fried: You are welcome and thank you for visiting.

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