-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueIntelligent Test and Inspection
Are you ready to explore the cutting-edge advancements shaping the electronics manufacturing industry? The May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine is packed with insights, innovations, and expert perspectives that you won’t want to miss.
Do You Have X-ray Vision?
Has X-ray’s time finally come in electronics manufacturing? Join us in this issue of SMT007 Magazine, where we answer this question and others to bring more efficiency to your bottom line.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025: A Preview
It’s that time again. If you’re going to Anaheim for IPC APEX EXPO 2025, we’ll see you there. In the meantime, consider this issue of SMT007 Magazine to be your golden ticket to planning the show.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Manufacturing Differently With Digital Technology
June 11, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

As circuit board manufacturing companies and their equipment suppliers go, you don’t see too many new ones, but groundbreaking technology is a different story. Founded in 2012 and based in Schwetzingen, Germany, Notion Systems is an industry leader in additive manufacturing technology of functional materials and inkjet printing equipment. Their tagline, “The future of additive manufacturing,” was demonstrated when I spoke with Antonio Schmidt, senior vice president of sales and marketing, and David Hahn, vice president of process R&D.
Case in point, I had never heard the term electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing, which is a more advanced additive inkjet technology that can be used in microfabrication for sub-micron resolution. We talked about how Notion is working to mainstream additive technology in the PCB and PCBA industries step by step, replacing current technology while they develop additive technologies.
Marcy LaRont: Notion would be considered a “new” company in this industry, having been founded in 2012.
Antonio Schmidt: Yes, but the core Notion team has made inkjet systems for decades when we were part of a company that designed and built equipment for the solar industry. For the past two years, we have been part of the German-based Lab 14 group.
LaRont: What is Notion’s DNA—your special sauce, if you will?
Schmidt: We design and build all systems on our own, and we wrote the software core for all inkjet systems. We have a huge application know-how, and all our machines have very high stability and repeatability. We are active in many industries, PCB fabrication being one of them. Our main markets are the display industry, where we print color filters of OLED displays; the electronics industry, where we print sensors; and the semiconductor market, where we are active in several new applications. The semiconductor market, especially, is picking up fast. In PCB manufacturing, we currently have 20 installed machines and we estimate our market share at approximately 50% worldwide. Inkjet technology offers tremendous benefits to replace traditional process technologies in all these industries and makes manufacturing more ecological and economical.
LaRont: When we talk generally about inkjet technology, and inkjet solder mask specifically, you are removing several processes. That is key to greater adoption of this process in places like the U.S.
David Hahn: The number and type of processes that are eliminated with inkjet depends on how you manufacture the PCBs. Typically, you can remove several process steps, such as spray coating (which is a very dirty process), drying/curing, direct imaging, and the development process. You have no waste as you only print the solder mask where it is required. In addition, you are using a UV-based ink, which is cured right after printing. It is not required to use a solvent-based ink, which is hazardous to health and smells bad. You also get rid of maintenance tasks because you do not have so many different machines that need to be maintained. This all translates directly to money saved.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the May 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Kyocera Licenses Quadric’s Chimera GPNPU AI Processor IP
05/08/2025 | BUSINESS WIREQuadric announced that Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. (hereinafter: Kyocera) has licensed the Chimera™ general purpose neural processor (GPNPU) intellectual property (IP) core for use in next generation office automation system on-chip (SoC) designs.
Scanfil Boosts Investment in Electronics Manufacturing in the US
05/08/2025 | BUSINESS WIREScanfil is investing in a second electronics manufacturing line in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The demand for manufacturing electronics in the USA has increased over the past two years and is expected to continue growing.
Cybord's Visual AI Solution to Be Integrated with Siemens' Opcenter MES
05/07/2025 | PRNewswireCybord, a leading provider of advanced visual-AI electronic component analytics, and Siemens Digital Industries Software have signed a new OEM agreement to integrate Cybord's cutting-edge AI technology with Siemens' Opcenter™ software for Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
SEL Announces 2025-2026 Scholarship Recipients
05/07/2025 | Schweitzer Engineering LaboratoriesSchweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the SEL Scholarship Program for the 2025-2026 academic year. This year, SEL has awarded 15 scholarships, each valued at $5,000, to exceptional students pursuing degrees in engineering and applied technology.
Baker Hughes' Waygate Unveils Nanotom HR for Advanced Inspection
05/06/2025 | Baker HughesWaygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business and global leader in nondestructive testing (NDT) solutions for industrial inspection, unveiled its new extremely high-resolution computed tomography (CT) system, Phoenix Nanotom® HR (High Resolution) at the Control 2025 show in Stuttgart, Germany.