Flexible Thinking: Rules of Thumb: A Word to the Wise
Happy’s Tech Talk #29: Bend-to-Install Semi-flex FR-4
Connect the Dots: Five Best Practices for Designing Flex and Rigid-flex PCBs
NextFlex Awards Over $11.5 Million in Funding for Flexible Hybrid Electronics Innovations in Hypersonics, Flexible Batteries and Anti-counterfeiting
April 29, 2020 | NextFlexEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, today announced $11.5 million in funding (including $6.3M in cost-share contribution from participants) for 12 new projects as part of its Project Call 5.0 to further promote FHE development and adoption throughout the U.S. advanced manufacturing sector.
Project Call 5.0’s awarded projects represent a diverse and innovative set of companies and universities that together are focused on maturing the industry’s capabilities while leveraging the strong foundation established in prior Project Calls. Included in this latest round of funded projects are applications that focus on aerospace, structural health monitoring and sophisticated array antennas to help move the manufacturing industry closer to volume manufacturing and commercialization. This latest round of funding brings the total amount invested in FHE developments to over $100M, including cost share contributions from prior Project Call participants.
“Despite these uncertain times, NextFlex and its members are forging ahead to deliver flexible, conformable, low-cost, thin and lightweight electronics solutions for a number of application areas, both for defense and commercial applications alike,” said Malcolm Thompson, Executive Director at NextFlex. “With several projects focused on the manufacturability and reliability of FHE systems and devices, this current round of funded projects demonstrates an overall maturation of FHE technology – which showcases the considerable progress and investment occurring within the advanced manufacturing sector despite aspects of the economy that be might temporarily stalled.”
The 12 winning projects will address reliability and process improvements in manufacturing automation and test protocols to ensure FHE systems perform at parity or better than traditional rigid systems. Furthermore, the projects will help to transition an increasing number of new capabilities into the U.S. industrial manufacturing sector for further advancement of the industry.
Project Call 5.0’s awarded funding will go to:
- Development led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute to enhance the endurance and resolution of inkjet printing for high volume digital manufacturing
- Development led by Binghamton University to demonstrate printed stretchable conductors for optimal mechanical and electrical performance
- Development led by SysteMECH to achieve consistent automated component attach for ultra-thin FHE systems and devices
- Development led by Hewlett Packard Enterprise to develop the FHE Process Design Kit (PDK) 2.0, expanding design tools and libraries to foster commercialization
- Development led by GE Global Research to develop scalable manufacturing processes for embedded sensors in composite structures
- Development led by Lockheed Martin Company for trusted FHE with a passive UHF-RFID tag with encrypted security features for authentication and tamper resistance
- Development led by Auburn University to test and evaluate flexible batteries and provide guidelines for performance and reliability
- Development led by The Boeing Company to additively manufacture durable high temperature electronics for hypersonic vehicles
- Development led by GE Global Research that will characterize additively manufactured electronics properties, interconnects, and processes capable of 300-750 degrees for hypersonic applications
- Development led by GE Global Research to design and produce reliable, flexible and conformal temperature and humidity sensors for extreme environments, in partnership with US Army CCDC-Armaments Center
- Development led by The Boeing Company to mature the manufacturing process of embedding antennas within fiberglass composite structures and validating RF performance for conformal antennas for telemetry, in partnership with Missile Defense Agency
- Development led by Lockheed Martin Company for flexible interconnects for large deployable x-band phased arrays that integrate fiber optics to reduce size and weight
For more information about NextFlex and the Project Call program, please visit https://www.nextflex.us/project-call/.
Share on:
Suggested Items
NEOTech Significantly Improves Wire Bond Pull Test Process
11/25/2024 | NEOTechNEOTech, a leading provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), design engineering, and supply chain solutions in the high-tech industrial, medical device, and aerospace/defense markets, proudly announces a major advancement in its wire bond pull testing process, reducing manufacturing cycle time by more than 60% while maintaining industry-leading production yields of over 99.99%.
PCB Design Software Market Expected to Hit $9.2B by 2031
11/21/2024 | openPRThis report provides an overview of the PCB design software market, detailing key market drivers, challenges, technological advancements, regional dynamics, and future trends. With a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% from 2024 to 2031, the market is expected to grow from USD 3.9 billion in 2024 to USD 9.2 billion by 2031.
IPC Issues Clarion Call for EU to Reclaim Leadership in Electronics Manufacturing
11/21/2024 | IPCIPC released a synopsis of its recent white paper, Securing the European Union’s Electronics Ecosystem. This condensed document presents a comprehensive overview of the current challenges in Europe’s electronics manufacturing industry and shares actionable steps to help the EU achieve a stronger, more autonomous ecosystem.
IPC Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week with a Focus on Electronics Manufacturing Excellence
11/19/2024 | IPCIPC, a leading global electronics industry association and source for industry standards, training and advocacy, is proud to announce its participation in National Apprenticeship Week, scheduled for November 17-23, 2024.
IPC Introduces First Standard for In-Mold Electronics
11/18/2024 | IPCIPC announces the release of IPC-8401, Guidelines for In-Mold Electronics. IPC-8401 addresses in-mold electronics (IME) technology, providing industry consensus on guidelines for manufacturing processes, part structures, material selection, and production test methods to integrate printed electronics and components into 3D smart structures.