Henkel and Teca-Print, a Swiss provider of pad printing, have intensified their cooperation in the field of printed electronics. At the end of October, they presented themselves together at 'TechBlick' Berlin and introduced their partnership.
The cooperation aims to expand the use of pad printing solutions in the application areas of printed electronics - in antenna printing, healthcare and intelligent mobility. The fact that pad printing can be used to apply structures for electronics to three-dimensional carrier objects very efficiently plays an important role here. Here in particular, the collaboration between Henkel and Teca-Print offers potential users support from research and development to the final production process, as well as joint testing opportunities and feasibility studies for various industries.
Possible with pad printing: Printing antennas directly into cell phone housings (Image: Henkel)At Lopec in Munich last March, Henkel presented new highly conductive inks that are suitable for a variety of antenna solutions. The ability to print the newly developed inks directly onto a 3D surface - for example in the housings of smartphones - was particularly emphasized there. At the LOPEC stand, Henkel presented a pad printer from its partner Teca-Print for this purpose.
Pad printing opens up new market opportunities
"Pad printing is a proven processing method for such antenna applications with advantages in terms of efficiency, design flexibility and sustainability," explained Anna Ryzhova, Business Development Manager for Printed Electronics at Henkel. "Together with Teca-Print, we want to combine our expertise to help customers accelerate their projects and open up new market opportunities in areas such as smart living, healthcare, mobility, electronics and more."
With its broad Loctite portfolio of conductive inks and coatings as well as resistive and dielectric inks, Henkel is a key supplier of materials and services for printed electronics. The manufacturer's four decades of experience in material formulation enable customers to develop printed electronics applications tailored to specific properties required - for example in the manufacture of membrane switches, flexible circuits, force sensors, heating elements and medical biosensors or switches and sensors in automotive and consumer electronics.
Teca-Print, headquartered in Thayngen, Switzerland, has been developing pad printing technology since 1973. Since then, pad printing has been repeatedly integrated into new market segments. The company's machines and systems have always been developed to meet the specific needs of its customers. They not only offer the highest quality and precision in terms of machine construction, but also control and improve the processes thanks to associated software packages. The product range includes complex automation solutions, special and standard pad printing machines as well as a complete range of peripheral devices, accessories and consumables.
Dominik Aeschbach, printed electronics expert at Teca-Print, commented on the cooperation as follows: "Henkel's expertise in formulating inks for pad printing applications combined with our machine and process know-how will enable our pad printing capabilities to be transferred to the printed electronics sector." By jointly providing seamless development and production support as well as a wide range of trial and study offerings, Aeschbach says it will be possible to take this technology to a new level.
