WALTHAM, MA – Nano Dimension Ltd. (Nasdaq: NNDM, “Nano Dimension” or the “Company”), a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (“AME”) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (“AM”) 3D printers, announced today the sale of its newest AME system, the DragonFly® IV, to Northeastern University.
This transaction demonstrates the Company’s success in supporting academic institutions, who are most often at the forefront of innovation. Northeastern University will be the first Massachusetts-based university to acquire this technology. Nano Dimension moved its U.S. based offices to the Boston area earlier this year to put its hi-tech solutions at the center of one of the world’s leading innovation hubs.
The DragonFly IV® system and specialized materials serve cross-industry High-Performance-Electronic-Devices (Hi-PEDs®) fabrication needs by simultaneously depositing proprietary conductive and dielectric substances, while integrating in-situ capacitors, antennas, coils, transformers, and electromechanical components. The outcomes are Hi-PEDs® which are critical enablers of autonomous intelligent drones, cars, satellites, smartphones, and in vivo medical devices. In addition, these products enable iterative development, IP safety, fast time-to-market, and device performance gains.
Dale Baker, Nano Dimension President of Americas and Head of Worldwide Sales & Marketing, said, “We are pleased that Northeastern University has chosen our latest electronics 3D printer, and we appreciate their confidence in our technology and products. We are committed to supporting the students and faculty of this leading institution as they explore and develop the concept of three-dimensional design.”
Siber Circuits Inc., of Markham, Ontario, has come together with IEC and atg Luther & Maelzer for the install of a brand new A7a Flying Test Probe machine. Siber Circuits specializes in prototype and fast turnaround, and the A7a is more than capable of delivering on those promises.
Simon Etherington, President of Siber Circuits, commented on the purchase, “The A7a is a necessary purchase in an industry like printed circuit boards. With the difficulty of hiring new employees across many industries, automation of key processes is the way forward for both quality and speed of delivery to our customers.”
The A7a tester comes equipped with 8 test heads, shuttle system, and slip sheet handling capabilities for multiple sizes of circuit panels. With high speed direct linear drives, 4 high-resolution color cameras, and fully automatic, Lights-out Operation, the A7a showcases the power of automation.
WALTHAM, MA — Nano Dimension Ltd., a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (“AME”) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (“AM”) 3D printers, announced today that it has received a purchase order from a large Western aerospace, defense and information technology company, for a DragonFly IV®, the leading Additive Manufacturing Electronics (AME) 3D-printer.
This customer is the 9th Western defense company to become a user of Nano Dimension’s advanced AM solutions. This is in addition to the Company’s defense governmental agency customers, i.e., national armies, intelligence, and security agencies. Nano Dimension cannot reveal the name of the company due to the sensitive nature of their work.
This customer, like many others, sees the DragonFly IV® as a critical means to advance innovation in a way that other technologies of electronics manufacturing cannot achieve.
The DragonFly IV® system and specialized materials serve cross-industry High-Performance-Electronic-Devices (Hi-PEDs®) fabrication needs by simultaneously depositing proprietary conductive and dielectric substances, while integrating in-situ capacitors, antennas, coils, transformers, and electromechanical components. The outcomes are Hi-PEDs® which are critical enablers of autonomous intelligent drones, cars, satellites, smartphones, and in vivo medical devices. In addition, these products enable iterative development, IP safety, fast time-to-market, and device performance gains.
Dale S. Baker, President of Nano Dimension-Americas and Head of Worldwide Sales & Marketing stated, “We are pleased to announce today that we have sold another DragonFly IV® system to one of the leading Western defense companies. This is another indication of confidence in the benefits which DragonFly IV® delivers, by enabling companies to dramatically reduce their time to develop prototype products in-house while maintaining control of their intellectual property. The case for investing in additively manufactured electronics continues to get stronger as customers appreciate the high return-on-investment based on the acceleration in innovation that yields quicker development and release of new products.”
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, December 12, 2022 — IPC recently convened a roundtable of electronics executives to discuss trends driving the industry’s migration to the factory of the future. The executives came to a shared conclusion that the transition to the factory of the future features many challenges and pitfalls but making the transition will be increasingly critical to any company seeking to compete in the global economy. A summary of the discussion is now available: “The Evolution of Factories of the Future: What You Need to Know.”
In reaching their conclusion, the roundtable participants discussed common barriers in adopting smart manufacturing technologies and skill disparities in the electronics manufacturing workforce. They also shared practices they believed to be important as companies work to increase digitization and enhance manufacturing operations. Among other topics, company leaders talked about creating a workplace culture that embraces change and innovation.
“Executives agreed that despite the challenges in transitioning to the factory of the future, they have recognized the value in doing so and are now looking to integrate solutions that will deliver measurable benefits to their company,” said Matt Kelly, IPC chief technologist.
CAMBRIDGE, UK — Having been largely confined to the realm of academia for many years, metamaterials are now set for commercialization in several major applications. The IDTechEx report, “Metamaterials Markets 2023-2043: Optical and Radio-Frequency”, explores the opportunities within this emerging materials technology.
A particularly significant emergent application of electromagnetic metamaterials is in supporting the deployment of high-frequency telecommunications, such as millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G and even THz. High frequencies can allow for faster data transfer and hence improved user experience. However, at high frequencies, there is a severe loss in energy across long distances. These problems can be further exacerbated by obstacles, as is common in urban environments. As a result, a low-power device that can facilitate the delivery of high-frequency signals in crowded environments is required.
Metamaterials offer a potential solution through enabling the development of “Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems”, or RIS for short. These systems integrate electronic components to reflect radio waves in specific, configurable directions – enabling signals to be reflected around obstacles, thus overcoming the issues of signal blockage. RIS can potentially even track users autonomously for directed communications, allowing for greater signal quality and improved security by reducing the likelihood of connection by unauthorized users. These advantages that RIS propose have drawn attention from telecom providers such as Verizon, who partnered with RIS-developer Pivotal Commware in 2020 to deploy the latter’s products in supporting mmWave 5G deployment.
If beaming a signal in a specific direction were the only goal, then this could be achieved using conventional relay stations. However, RIS offers two crucial advantages – namely, their low power use and small form factor. This allows them to be deployed at scale in areas where a conventional relay station would not fit, such as above traffic lights at crowded junctions or under a ceiling in a stadium, significantly improving 5G coverage in crowded environments. The requirement of low power also greatly reduces the costs of operating a widespread network, and it may even be possible to power some RIS devices from built-in energy harvesting systems such as solar photovoltaics.
Deployment at scale for RIS would only be possible if each device could be produced affordably – as such, the materials used and manufacturing process are of key concern. RIS developers, such as Greenerwave and Pivotal Commware, have thus designed their devices to be compatible with conventional PCB components and manufacturing methods. That these rely on well-founded industries ensures manufacturing can be carried out affordably at scale.
The devices discussed above incorporated electronic components to actively steer signals; however, electronic components are not a prerequisite. A feature central to metamaterials is their ability to reflect at otherwise unachievable angles, and so may conceivably be deployed as “mirrors” to passively reflect signals around corners. Transparent metamaterial sheets capable of this functionality pose a significant materials opportunity, as they may be integrable with existing structures such as windows or walls. An example of such a product is demonstrated by Meta Materials Inc and Sekisui, who entered a collaboration in 2021 to develop a transparent conductive reflector film that can reflect signals for improved mmWave signal coverage.
Thus far, only reflection has been considered – however, metamaterials can also enhance high-frequency telecommunications through improving the transmission of signals through windows. Low-emissivity glass contains a very thin transparent layer of metal oxide to block UV and infrared radiation; such glass can be found in the windows of regular households, businesses, and in the windshields of cars. It is becoming increasingly common for consumers to choose low-emissivity glass in order to improve energy efficiency and minimize utility bills. However, these also have the effect of blocking wireless communication signals and thus causes poor phone reception. By incorporating a transparent metamaterial film, the strength of high-frequency signals within buildings can be greatly enhanced. Indeed, such high-frequency signals experience particularly significant attenuation and may necessitate metamaterials for any viable indoor phone reception.
5G has been commercialized since 2019, but to date, mmWave has been impeded by the high costs necessary for implementation. The short range of mmWave requires large numbers of base stations to be installed, thus making it expensive and unattractive. However, metamaterial-based RIS may be set to revolutionize the market by enabling affordable, widespread coverage, paving the way for future high-frequency telecommunications. In the IDTechEx report “Metamaterials Markets 2023-2043: Optical and Radio-Frequency”, the potential of metamaterial-based RIS is analyzed in depth to assess the potential for this emergent technology in supporting high-frequency telecommunications.
HANAU, GERMANY — Heraeus Electronics will exhibit at the 2023 IPC APEX EXPO, scheduled to take place Jan. 24-26, 2023 at the San Diego Convention Center in California. The company will showcase three innovative products designed to meet current and future SMT challenges. New solutions are needed to meet the increasing demands for miniaturization, reliability and TCO challenges.
Heraeus has answered the industry’s need, and will introduce the next evolution of Solder Paste to address these challenges in Booth #2419 during the IPC APEX EXPO.
The all-new paste system is a high reliability, high performance paste system with a competitive TCO offering. Based on proven experience of Heraeus Electronics, the new paste system allows a wide process window, enabling soldering in air with low defects. Additionally, it is designed to offer an optimized formulation for lower material costs. Moreover, the company will discuss its proven Innolot Solder Paste and mAgic® DA320 Sinter Paste.
Heraeus’ SMT 650 Innolot solder paste achieves a consistently high surface insulation resistance that prevents electrochemical migration. The combination of the flux system with Innolot alloy delivers superior reliability— especially in miniaturized systems in the automotive industry. In addition, the developed flux system can also be combined with SAC305.
mAgic® DA320 is a high shear strength, non-pressure dispensing sinter paste for die attach of power applications. With high thermal conductivity, it offers fast sintering at low application temperatures from 200°C and above to form quality interconnections.
For more information about the company’s innovative materials portfolio, visit Heraeus experts in Booth #2419 during the IPC APEX EXPO.
To learn more about Heraeus Electronics, visit www.heraeus-electronics.com
