SAN JOSE – The Air Force Research Laboratory will invest $154 million in Nextflex during the next seven years to fund development of 3-D printed electronics that can support military operations and defense manufacturing.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with NextFlex and its members,” said Dr. Richard Vaia, chief scientist for the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at AFRL. “The flexible hybrid electronic manufacturing ecosystem did not exist five years ago. Today these technologies are not only providing component solutions to our current platforms but are revolutionizing our design concepts for future transformation capabilities for 2030.”

Formed in 2015, Netflex is a US consortium dedicated to advancing flexible hybrid electronics in the 3-D printing industry. It includes companies, academic institutions and nonprofit and state agencies. Nextflex’s research has focused on devising lightweight, low-cost, stretchable FHE devices for the medical, robotics and communication markets.

AFRL provided $75 million in initial funding in 2015. Netflex has since redistributed this investment to its members for FHE projects.

“Over the last five years, the DoD and government partnership with NextFlex and its members demonstrated numerous flexible hybrid electronics-based prototypes for modernization priorities,” said Eric Forsythe, Ph.D., NextFlex government program manager and ERP SAMM hybrid thrust lead at the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory.

“We are excited to support the OSD ManTech office in the execution of the second AFRL cooperative agreement. Many new approaches will be implemented in the second agreement, supporting emerging national advanced manufacturing challenges and DoD priorities.”

Nextflex’s agreement with the AFRL includes funding from the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology Program. The company will use the additional investment to support its ongoing mission to drive electronics innovation for manufacturing and military applications and OSD research and engineering modernization.

FHE projects will reportedly include the conformal 3-D printing of functional dielectric and conductor materials on complex 3-D surfaces and the development of a database about 3-D printed antennas and microwave elements. Nextflex will also create new FHE innovations focused on DoD technology.

As part of the deal, the company will expand its FHE technology roadmap and work with government agencies to accomplish set goals.

The DoD’s defense-wide Manufacturing Science and Technology Program also awarded another $10 million dedicated to developing processes and technologies needed to produce defense systems.

“We’re beginning to see some of the initial projects we’ve collaborated on with our members make great strides toward the market or toward active military use. As the leading member organization and collaboration partner in the field of FHE, we know this new funding will pave the way toward the vision of electronics everywhere,” said NextFlex executive director Malcolm Thompson, Ph.D.

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