HMI and Printed Electronics

Many people are familiar with the screen printing process as it pertains to fine art production or the manufacturing of branded promotional products, however, advanced screen printing methods and applications are opening up new design possibilities in the realm of electronics and human-machine interfaces (HMIs). 

For HMIs and printed electronics, patterns are screen printed using an additive manufacturing process that uses meshes and inks. The inks used are electrically functional inks and the substrates we print onto are highly flexible and range widely to best suit the application at hand. Sensors, heaters, actuators, and many other components used in final HMI assemblies are manufactured in this way.

The intricate, conductive patterns deposited onto the substrate form the basis of the electronic functionalities of the final assembly. In this way, screen-printed electronics have the advantage of being devoid of wires and bulky circuit layers that can corrode and encounter wear and tear that shorten the life of the end product. The lightweight and streamlined design of these circuits allows for affordable, robust, and long-lasting assemblies. 

Today, substrate options & selections are essentially unlimited. The surfaces themselves even can become the substrates. As a result, surfaces become more functional in smarter ways, with tailored yet highly scalable and affordable production methods.

At e₂ip, we use a proprietary fineline printing method and specialized inks to achieve high-resolution results that set us apart from our competitors. While resolution can traditionally be lower in screen printing than in other types of printers, our sub-micron trace thicknesses allow for finer lines and greater precision.

Our fineline printing method is especially effective for Capflex® capacitive switches, for example, allowing us to produce high-quality results with exceptional accuracy. With decades of experience in screen printing and expertise in printed electronics, we have the tools and technology to create custom solutions that meet the specific needs of our clients.