In a conversation with PRO Flextronics, Mark Challingsworth, Global Head of Business Line Thick Film Materials, and Ryan Banfield, Product Manager PriElex at Heraeus Electronics, showcase the PriElex portfolio of printed electronics materials and its benefits for our industry.
Mr Challingsworth, Mr Banfield, what are PriElex Functional Printed Electronics Materials, and how do they fit into Heraeus Electronics’ product portfolio?
Ryan Banfield: PriElex materials are a full suite of polymer thick films, i.e. curable or dryable inks that are used for creating circuits on flexible substrates. They include conductive materials, protective materials, resistors, etc. – and they enable applications like medical sensors, heaters and similar devices. Primarily, these materials are screen printable, although we do make formulations that are dippable or sprayable. We can modify the viscosities for the different types of end applications.
This portfolio is the next natural step within Heraeus Electronics and its growth in the electronics sector. In early 2024, Heraeus Electronics acquired the PriElex business line from Kayaku Advanced Materials Inc.
Even though PriElex has been part of Heraeus Electronics for only about a year, we already have all the manufacturing and technical expertise, as well as the application method expertise that comes with the Cermet side. Cermets are composite materials combining ceramics and metals and is a mainstay of Heraeus’ ‘traditional’ portfolio. With this acquisition, it was easy for us to transition into the printed electronics space. The materials themselves fit in extremely well as they are already quite familiar for our innovation, commercial and manufacturing teams. The new elements are the customer base and the end user applications, which is where I come in to help. It’s all about speaking the same language!
Can you elaborate on the types of applications where PriElex Functional Printed Electronics Materials are most beneficial?
R. Banfield: There’s not just one application basis, it’s an entire portfolio! As you know, these materials have been around since the 1970s and 1980s, during the advent of the membrane switch. People were looking to eliminate subtractive technologies based on etching, copper and a variety of other very large form factor application methods. The aim was to find a smaller, cheaper assembly method with a comparable functionality applied to flexible substrates.
Since then, the technology has evolved substantially into the current state. When it comes to our PriElex materials, we have a heavy focus on the medical and sensor side, but also on sustainability. We aim to decrease the footprint of subtractive technology by utilising screen printing and additive manufacturing capabilities!
On top of that, we also do a lot of work in the heater industry with PTC-based materials to decrease the form factor and offer lightweight solutions for the automotive sector. This not only involves the batteries in the EV sector, but also topics such as cabin comfort for seat heaters, wheel heaters and a gambit of other applications.
Overall, our materials are enabling the next generation of manufacturing by decreasing the space requirements – and they enable the transition into additive technologies.
Mark Challingsworth: I would like to expand on the automotive topic. Ryan mentioned the heaters, but another major application is ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), where car companies want to ensure that camera systems are not affected by fogging on the lenses. For this, they can use polymer thick film heaters, which ensure that the lens stays fog-free.
How does PriElex contribute to the advancement and integration of printed electronics within the broader electronics ecosystem?
R. Banfield: At Heraeus Electronics, we are in this unique space where we’re already working with a lot of people who are using fired type materials. We’re looking at these unique applications, like polymer-based materials that can be soldered on top. In this way, we can work with our customers to incorporate polymer thick film solutions into their PCB as a hybrid flexible circuit thereby creating simpler circuits with fewer layers that require less floor space. We are trying to find better ways to make the same things – so that they become less expensive and offer benefits in terms of performance.
M. Challingsworth: From our company’s perspective, we have a very innovative group, with a full R&D team that utilises the latest equipment for developing the next generation of products. We take a very customer-centric approach, to find out what they need and work hand in hand with them as they’re developing the products for their next generation of advanced and integrated printed electronics.
R. Banfield: Mark is correct. This is something we really pride ourselves in: We are not just an ink provider. We are sitting at the table with the OEMs or end customers who have ideas for next-generation products, and we can pull in all the other partners they need – whether it’s someone to manufacture the device or a substrate provider, or someone who can make a primer for their substrate. We have the contacts to get all these people into the same room and help the end customer make their device.
In this context, we just hosted a Polymer Thick Film Workshop at our facility, where we did something very similar to that. We invited some of our customers into our facility and led them through an in-depth talk of not just the materials that go into printed electronics, but we also had a screen provider come in and give talks about mesh selection, emulsions, etc.
Can you describe the production and testing facilities for PriElex Functional Printed Electronics Materials, and how Heraeus Electronics’ global sales and service network supports these products?
M. Challingsworth: In the United States, we have what I like to call the “Hub of Thick Film” near Philadelphia, where we have a dedicated R&D team, a full applications laboratory, and production of thick film inks and pastes, both for high temperature Cermet and the PriElex-type of products. Our facility has been around since the early 1980s.
We have been in the market for quite a long time, of course in tandem with our facility in Hanau, where we also have production and technical service for our customers in Europe. Moreover, Heraeus Electronics also boasts production and development capabilities in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. The facilities in China include an R&D lab for modifying the pastes for the local market, and another production facility for their scale-up.
In our labs, we have equipment similar to what our customers would use to apply PriElex materials, so that we can try to benchmark and see how our products are performing. We do the initial testing before sending samples to customers for their own lab or production line trials.
What are the future plans and upcoming innovations for Heraeus Electronics and PriElex?
M. Challingsworth: One area that we are focusing on is medical sensors and the development of next-generation products for this field. Another is in high-temperature materials – products that typically would be used over 200°C. Recently, a customer approached us and requested a material that can be used as a heater, and it had to be thermally stable up to 250°C with no outgassing of any material from the system. Within a very short time, we were able to develop a product for them that fit their criteria.
R. Banfield: Thermoformable and stretchable are the buzzwords that everybody has been talking about for the last five to ten years or so. We’re keeping our finger on the pulse when it comes to these materials, and we are supporting the growth of those industries. But we are also working in the background, helping to establish the standards for those materials. What I mean by that is we have the conversation with customers about material limitations and what we can actually do.
For instance, automotive is looking for a one-piece dashboard that has all the electronics integrated into it. In this discussion, we are in the background and can provide an overview on what our materials can do today, and we have a roadmap for developments that can do even more tomorrow. If you’re looking to design a new part, you should take these developments into consideration or at least include us in the conversation.
Communication with customers and OEMs is paramount to our success and a core element to who we are.
What are some emerging trends and future directions in the printed electronics industry?
R. Banfield: Developments and conversations are centring around fine lines, smaller form factors and smaller areas. When we are looking at next-generation solutions, we want to keep the conversation going with the customers so that we can all understand the limitations of not just the materials but all the other parts that are going into an end product.
Personally, one of the most exciting things for me is in elastic and wearable materials going into medical electrodes, which contribute to a form factor that’s much more comfortable for the patients and enables new technologies.
Can you tell us more about Heraeus Electronics’ participation in the upcoming TechBlick Boston event, and what attendees can expect to see at your exhibit?
R. Banfield: I will be giving a presentation on next-generation medical materials. It will include an overview of the history of medical materials, how they are used, and where the trends are going from a material manufacturer’s perspective.
M. Challingsworth: We will have a large team on-site in Boston, some of our R&D experts, our tech service staff, and Ryan as Product Manager. We’ll be coming out in full force to see what’s going on in the industry, to talk to customers, vendors and to get a sense of how things are developing in the whole ecosystem.