ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Optomec said its Aerosol Jet Technology can enable 3D polymer and composite structures to be printed at the micron scale with embedded electronics.

This new capability combines Aerosol Jet for fine feature printing with an in-situ curing capability for on-the-fly solidification. The Optomec method relies on local deposition and local curing.

“This breakthrough in 3D printing technology extends additive manufacturing to the creation of micron scale, free-form polymer structures and smart devices,” said Mike O’Reilly, Optomec director Aerosol Jet product management. “Early adopter customers have already developed innovative applications for smart devices and micro-fluidic applications.”

Resulting structures can be metallized with conformal 3D conductive traces and printed functional components, such as antennas and
sensors, to create fully functional 3D components.

Aerosol Jet 3D micro-structure printing is capable of ultra-high resolutions with lateral feature sizes down to 10µm, and lateral and vertical build resolutions from 1µm to 100nm, respectively. Aspect ratios of more than 100:1 have been achieved.

Such 3D micro-structures can be printed onto existing components and products, such as semiconductor chips, medical devices or industrial parts.

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