Prelonic presents novelties

Produced via conventional printing processes, paper thin, flexible and at a cost level far below all known electronics: Printed electronics are expected to create a new era in electronics. Prelonic has presented new prototypes. These outstanding stand alone application demonstrators show how Prelonic will use printed electronics to launch first products end of the year.

 

Printed elements like batteries and displays are under development for years now. But the area of printed electronics is still waiting for the commercial success of the technology. New developments seem to shift the technology to a new application level.

 

 

 

"Full functional application demonstrators, which could work stand alone - yes, that is a novelty. The printed electronics producers should not longer wait for the market - we have to do the next step and offer product-like prototypes. Otherwise we will never take off. prelonic did this step, and the response was incredible." Friedrich Eibensteiner, CEO of Prelonic.

 

"To try to sell single elements, like displays or batteries, will not bring us closer to the market. There is a lack of integrators, which are able to build products out of all the elements." Friedrich Eibensteiner tries to explain the main hurdle.

 

To proove this theory, Prelonic prepared some different prototypes: Some display/battery modules, 7-Segment modules and also LED modules.

 

These prototypes show, how gaming cards, marketing material, greeting cards and other printed products could look like.

 

These prototypes are fully printed (except LEDs) and produced integrated. That means no assembly and contacting work after producing the elements - the connectivity is achieved via the printing process.

 

Prelonic Technologies GmbH is a high-tech start-up in the new field of printed electronics started in 2007 in Linz, Austria. Prelonic aims to become a leading player in development and mass production of integrated and printed electronic modules, like display modules, sensor modules and RFID modules. These products will be paper-thin, flexible and could be customized to every form and application.

 

 

IDTechEx has long observed that those attempting to sell printed components on their own have had difficulty in landing business and the integrated manufacture practiced by companies such as Soligie are more likely to succeed. Now prelonic has presented new prototypes illustrating this approach, though IDTechEx has not yet been allowed working samples to show to its large user clients that eagerly wish to test such functions on their high volume products. Other suppliers are ahead in this respect.

 

These latest stand alone application demonstrators show how prelonic will use printed electronics to launch its first products at the end of this year. Most of these demonstrators take the form of novelties. IDTechEx believes there is a huge potential market for printed electronic novelties, merchandising features, tearoff gifts etc. several companies beiginning to offer versions based on PEDOT PSS conductive organic ink which is limited to blue displays as yet but can be placed behind other colors to make them wink. ACREO is in the lead in having an order for such a winking sign, in this case for Cloetta packages in Sweden. Multiple colors are needed. They were achieved by ac electroluminescent displays on Coypu rum years ago but that required a bulky conventional power supply. Ajjer, Ntera, Aveso and others have demonstrated colour electrophoretics but there have yet to be any high volume sales. Some companies provide slow but adequate printed PEDOT transistors to drive printed displays.

 

For more attend Printed Electronics Asia 2009, Tokyo, Japan  and Printed Electronics USA Dec 2-3, San Jose, CA .

 

Also read Thin Film Photovoltaics and Batteries 2009-2029 .