Printed Electronics: Capabilities and Potentials for Intelligent Interactive Packaging

Abstract

Printed Electronics as an emerging technology is a fast-evolving disruptive and enabling innovative technology that utilizes functional inks and conventional printing techniques for the mass production of flexible and low-cost devices. Printed Electronic (PE) is a rapidly evolving printing method in printing technology that enables the deposition of conductive inks easily at a low cost. Unlike the traditional microelectronics industry, this printing method is based on subtractive techniques.

Like any other emerging technologies, printed electronics have transitioned from the research stage to commercial production. The innovation advancement that enabled electronic printing on flexible unconventional substrates such as paper, thin films, plastics, and cardboards resulted in the production and introduction of a communication enhanced intelligent packaging into the market. The production of intelligent packaging was enabled by some of the properties of printed electronics: flexibility, lightweight, and low production cost. This resulted in printed electronics products such as printed displays, batteries, NFC tags, antennas, printed transistors, and resistors.

Printing electronics is an additive printing process capable of utilizing the same fictional materials as traditional manufacturing but is carefully deposited only in the needed areas on a chosen substrate through printing heads. Printed electronics depart from traditional electronics manufacturing (subtractive technique) that involves the deposit of functional layers through physical or chemical vapor. This is followed by multiple production steps involving using toxic chemicals to rid surplus metal layers. Printed electronics as a manufacturing process significantly eliminates the long traditional manufacturing steps, thereby reducing energy and waste generated.

In light of the above, this thesis, while be capitalizing on the properties of printed electronics at most, aims to explore the capabilities, characteristics, and potentials of printed electronics and its application for intelligent and interactive packaging, printing technology enablers such as the available printing methods, substrates, and functional materials. This research is based on an extensive literature review together with empirical observations. The findings of this thesis enumerate the value chain and the manufacturing process of printed technologies in the context and application of intelligent and interactive packaging.