Industry-expert panel discussion at SMTA International Technical Conference on Nov 1, 2022 - marking the first look at printed electronics for this conference.

Printed electronics represent a rapidly growing segment of the electronics market. This emerging technology is being adopted in many industries, including IoT, wearables, medical/healthcare, aerospace, and automotive sectors. Printed electronics can use standard printing equipment to define patterns on material which can be low-cost compared to traditional industrial processes. This is an attractive prospect. However, assembling printed, electronic circuits into functional devices presents unique challenges to the surface mount technology (SMT) community.

How can SMT components be assembled onto additively manufactured circuits in a reliable, cost-effective, and scalable fashion? Panasonic's Andy Behr will lead a panel of industry experts with various backgrounds and expertise in the printed electronics industry to discuss the challenges and opportunities of this emerging technology. Panasonic's new printed electronics substrate, BEYOLEX™, is one of a new series of products in this exciting area.  
 

Some of the questions they will address during the 90-minute session:

• Is there a relevant comparison between printed electronics and conventional circuit board assembly?
• PCB assembly has many manufacturing and reliability standards: should the printed electronics community modify existing standards or develop new ones?
• Are traditional circuit board and assembly companies moving into the printed electronics space, or are new companies leading technology development and implementation?
• Mechanical housings and conformal coatings protect most conventional circuit assemblies from the environment. What methods or approaches are likely for protecting assembled printed electronics?

SMTA is an international network of professionals who build skills, share practical experience, and develop Electronics Manufacturing (EM) solutions, including microsystems, emerging technologies, and related business operations.