Editoria e Media
Flexible Hybrid Electronics Offers the Best of Both Approaches, Says IDTechEx
Manufacturing FHE circuits requires many current and developing emerging technologies that are essential to circuits. These include:
The IDTechEx report assesses the status and prospects of each technology in detail, with recent developments and technological gaps highlighted and the merits of different approaches compared. This analysis is based on interviews with many suppliers and annual attendance at multiple printed/flexible electronics conferences. Furthermore, we profile 6 government research centers and a range of collaborative projects from around the world that support the adoption of flexible hybrid electronics, demonstrating the major players and technological themes.
With so many potential addressable markets, establishing where FHE offers the most compelling value proposition relative to alternative electronics manufacturing approaches is essential. As a manufacturing methodology rather than a specific product, the benefits of using FHE are highly dependent on the application.
For prototyping and high mix low volume production, printing with digital methods such as inkjet rather than chemically etching the conductive traces enables straightforward adjustments to design parameters. This brings multiple benefits, including shortening the product development process by reducing the time between design iterations and facilitating product 'versioning' to meet specific customer requirements without substantially increasing production costs.
Alternatively, for very high-volume applications such as RFID tags, smart packaging, and even large-area lighting, the compatibility of FHE with high throughput roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing via rotary printing methods such as flexography and gravure offer the potential for reduced costs. Rapid production can be expedited by low-temperature and/or high-speed component attachment methods, with competing approaches analyzed in detail within the report.
Flexibility and stretchability, of course, also form part of FHE's value proposition. While conventionally manufactured flexible PCBs already meet some application requirements, such as for making electrical connections in confined spaces, the resilience of many printed conductive inks to repeated bending and tighter curvatures offers a clear differentiator. FHE is thus well suited for wearable applications such as electronic skin patches and applications where conformality is enabled by stretchability, such as integrated lighting.
IDTechEx has been researching developments in the printed and flexible electronics market for well over a decade. Since then, we have stayed close to technical and commercial developments, interviewing key players worldwide, annually attending conferences such as FLEX and LOPEC, delivering multiple consulting projects, and running classes/ workshops on the topic. "Flexible Hybrid Electronics 2024-2034" utilizes this experience and expertise to summarize IDTechEx's knowledge and insight across the compelling and rapidly emerging manufacturing methodology of FHE.
To find out more about this new IDTechEx report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/FlexElec.
Dr Dyson, Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx and author of this article, will be presenting a free-to-attend webinar on the topic on - Flexible Hybrid Electronics: The Best of Both Worlds?.
This webinar will discuss the following topics:
Click here to find out more and register your place on one of our three sessions.
IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com.
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