Printed electronics suppliers' database

IDTechEx is now offering a database of a rapidly increasing number of printed electronics suppliers and researchers. Of the 1500 organisations we believe are currently active in printed and potentially printed electronics and electrics, details are currently available on 636. This starts to be statistically meaningful and the autogenerated analysis shows below the primary focus of the organisations, with some having more than one category.

 

 

 

This reflects the fact that, although Japan probably has a larger expenditure on printed electronics than the UK, it is concentrated in a relatively small number of large companies.

 

 

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For more information on purchasing access to this database of suppliers, please email Raghu Das as r.das@IDTechEx.com. Access is customised for each client.

 

Two company profiles are given below, they do not show the slide shows and audio from the companies of presentations they gave at IDTechEx events, which subscribers would receive access to.

Konica Minolta, a leading company in the EP (Electrophotographic Printing) sector, has industrial inkjet technology as well. Based on more than a hundred years of experience as a player in the photo-chemical industry, they provide unique technology to the emerging printable electronics field. In particular, the material compatibility of their head and liquid often used in this sector as well as the super accurate DPN (Drive per nozzle) heads are the most valuable specialties.

 

This is a major quoted company with 31,700 employees. Konica Minolta's business domain spans from imaging input through output. It offers diverse products and services which realize new digital imaging environments in a wide range of fields. These businesses are sustained by materials technology, optical technology, nanotechnology, image technology and other core technologies.

 

 

 

Konica say "We will realize optimal document solutions suited to the office environment, in which color, digital, high-speed and network solutions are required. We are also making aggressive efforts in new areas, including print-on-demand (POD)."

 

 

They also add, "Konica Minolta is actively working on developing cutting-edge technologies which will expand the world of imaging with these technologies at the core. We will pursue technological innovations and synergies persistently, in an effort to continue proposing new values in the field of imaging."

 

 

Konica Minolta withdrew from camera business as of Mar.31 2006.

 

 

In 2007, Konica Minolta set up a joint venture with GE in the USA to commercialise "thin, flexible" OLED lighting within three years. Kita Hiroshi of Konica Minolta was the third most prolific filer of patents on OLEDs in the period 2003-5 with 60 such patents.

 

On May 20-25 2007, in a conference "2007 SID INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM," Long Beach California, the following was presented

 

 

 

At the IDTechEx conference Printed Electronics Europe Spring 2006, the following was presented by Konica Minolta IJ Technologies - "All you need for Printed Electronics." The following was covered:

In this lecture it was claimed that Konica Minolta has an ink jet head for every application but the priority seemed to be displays.

 

Kirai Katsura of Konica Minolta Holdings gained 44 patents on printed and thin film transistors and their materials in the period 2003-5, making him the World's most prolific inventor in the field at that time. Two other Konica staff had 13 patents each on this subject between 2003-2005.

 

 

Konica Minolta

Marunouchi Center Building

1-6-1 Marunouchi

Chiyoda-Ku

Tokyo

Japan

 

 

 

 

More Activity in Printed Electronics by Western Giants (Sep 2007)

Enthusiasm for New Printed Electronics Conference in Tokyo (Jul 2007)

Printed Electronics in East Asia (Jul 2007)

Who is Winning With OLED Lighting? (Jun 2007)

But Edison's Lights Are Still Working (Jun 2007)

Printed Electronics - the Giants Get Involved (Mar 2007)

This major quoted company is Japan's largest consumer electronics company. It consists of 600 companies marketing 15,000 products. It is the world's largest domestic electronics company with the Panasonic and Technics brands etc.

 

 

Matsushita patents on organic electronics date back to 1991, far earlier than those of other organisations. Priority has not been OLEDs but a range of devices including electroactive polymers and thin film transistors.

 

The IDTechEx projection of the distribution of all players is as follows:

 

 

Patent filings on relevant topics were modest up to 2006 when they surged, notably concerned with high performance printed transistors. Matsushita is putting a major effort into making flexible plasma displays and this may use some printing technology.

 

Matsushita Battery Industrial Co Ltd has been studying printed photovoltaics for some time. For example, in 1986 it reported "Long-term reliability tests have been carried out on screen-printed CdS/CdTe solar-cell modules under rooftop conditions in three countries at different latitudes (Japan, India and Australia). Test results on 118 modules, over periods of 140 to 800 days, have shown that such modules are fundamentally stable under these conditions. The only exception was one large module tested in India. The degradation of this module appears to have resulted from water which was able to enter because of poor sealing. Studies on waterproofing are necessary if the long-term reliability of screen-printed CdS/CdTe solar-cell modules is to be improved."

 

 

 

Matsushita Electric Industrial

1006 Kadoma

Kadoma City

Osaka 571-8501

Japan

 

 

 

Japanese electronics makers announce alliance in flat panel displays (Dec 2007)

Surge in Matsushita Patents (Jun 2007)

 

To access the suppliers' and researchers' database click here. For full analysis and detailed profiles by continent read the reports Organic and Printed Electronics in North America, Organic and Printed Electronics in East Asia and Organic and Printed Electronics in Europe. These cover over 700 organisations. For analysis of transistors and memory involving 150 organisations, ten year forecasts and technology see Printed and Thin Film Transistors and Memory.