WALDENBURG, GERMANY – A special kind of educational event was staged in Gran Canaria from February 28 to March 2, 2024. Several teams of students generated innovative solutions and built technological prototypes within a short period of time. These next generation of developers were supported with Würth Elektronik components and expertise.
Where others go on vacation, young talents from various universities hatched innovative solutions for industry in smart farming, smart green energy and mobility, smart automation, IoT, robotics, smart production, smart shipping, and the circular economy.
The Makeathon 2024 focused on practical aspects, in which each team had to come up with a solution to a specific problem and then develop and build a prototype. Over 600 participants formed 24 teams from 29 countries took part in the challenge. The partner companies provided the necessary equipment.
In the seminar “Get the right Voltage: Understand and Setup your Power Supply with Stepdown Converters”, the Makeathon participants were not only provided with the familiar Würth tools, but also with components from the Würth Elektronik eiSos Group, as well as relevant knowledge. The company supported the event with two experienced members of staff.
“The guiding principle of the Makeathon is ‘hands-on’. So of course we’re part of it,” stresses Alexander Gerfer, CTO at Würth Elektronik eiSos. “True to our ‘Creating Together’ mission, we supported this innovative event with expertise and components. Implementation of new ideas takes a reliable partner, so we’re happy to offer our services – as well as to inspire young talents in choosing a career at Würth Elektronik of course. In our efforts to preserve or even improve our living space, everyone has to pitch in. Or putting it in today’s language: Making things happen is like learning – only it takes it to the next level.”
SUNDBYBERG, SWEDEN – NCAB, a leading authority in PCB manufacturing, has given its approval to factories specializing in IMS – Insulated Metal Base PCBs. These facilities are dedicated to meeting the rising demand for IMS technology, which finds applications in diverse sectors such as automotive, medical, aerospace, lighting, and industrial controls.
IMS technology, short for Insulated Metal Substrate, offers new opportunities, particularly in scenarios requiring efficient heat dissipation or handling high local thermal loads, such as in modern constructions featuring high-intensity LEDs. IMS PCBs are constructed on metal plates, typically aluminum, onto which a specialized prepreg is applied. This prepreg boasts excellent heat dissipation capabilities and high dielectric strength against elevated voltages.
The superiority of IMS PCBs in heat dissipation is evident when compared to standard FR4 PCBs. For instance, an IMS PCB with a 0.15mm thermal prepreg could exhibit thermal resistance over 100 times lower than that of a 1.60mm FR4 PCB, making it an ideal choice for applications requiring effective thermal management.
NCAB not only endorses IMS technology but also facilitates knowledge dissemination through seminars focused on thermal management and IMS board design. These sessions explore alternatives to IMS boards and equip industry professionals with the necessary expertise to harness the full potential of this innovative technology.
With the endorsement of NCAB and the advancements in IMS technology, manufacturers across various industries have access to efficient solutions for their thermal management needs, ensuring the reliability and performance of critical systems.
For further information or assistance, interested parties are encouraged to reach out to their local NCAB Group company, which stands ready to provide support and guidance.
CAMBRIDGE, UK – Sensors are vital in modern life. They measure a vast quantity of metrics and parameters, acting as the interface between the physical and digital worlds. Printed sensors can be produced in large areas on flexible substrates, reducing costs and unlocking new market opportunities. The new IDTechEx report, “Printed and Flexible Sensors 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Markets”, breaks down key trends by technology approach – highlighting both opportunities and challenges for the industry forecast to reach US$960 million by 2034.
Printed and flexible sensors can measure a plethora of properties, including touch, force, pressure, displacement, temperature, electrical signals, and gas concentration. One of the earliest and now most ubiquitous printed sensor technologies is printed force sensors, which are used in cars for seat occupancy detection. Yet printed sensors can offer value in a variety of commercial sectors such as healthcare, wearables, consumer electronics, industry, and logistics.
IDTechEx predicts that while force sensors are anticipated to continue dominating revenue share, other printed and flexible sensor technology markets are poised for growth over the next decade. For example, printed sensors are seeing early adoption in consumer electronic devices, from laptops to power tools. Moreover, prominent emerging automotive applications include battery health monitoring and human-machine interfaces. Printed sensor innovation is also now evolving to meet the market demand for multi-functionality. As such, hybrid printed sensor technologies pose a disruptive new threat to existing sensor industries, in addition to unlocking wholly new and novel use cases.
The printed and flexible sensor market report critically evaluates 8 printed sensor technologies, covering printed piezoresistive sensors and force sensors (FSRs), piezoelectric sensors, photodetectors, temperature sensors, strain sensors, gas sensors, capacitive touch sensors, and wearable electrodes. The report also discusses areas of innovation in manufacturing printed sensors, including a focus on emerging material options as well as the technology underlying the manufacturing processes. This report characterizes each application of printed sensors, discussing the relevant technology, product types, competitive landscape, industry players, pricing, as well as key meta-trends and drivers for each sector. The report also contains detailed printed and flexible sensors market forecasting over 10 years for each key printed sensor technology area.
The research behind the report has been compiled over many years by IDTechEx analysts. It builds on existing expertise in areas such as sensors, wearable technology, flexible electronics, stretchable and conformal electronics, smart packaging, conductive inks, nanotechnology, future mobility, and electronic textiles (e-textiles). The methodology involved a mixture of primary and secondary research, with a key focus on speaking to executives, engineers, and scientists from companies developing printed and flexible sensors. As such, the report analyses all known major companies and projects, including over 30 profiles.
Unique position and experience behind the report
IDTechEx is afforded a particularly unique position in covering this topic. The analyst team builds on decades of experience covering emerging technology markets, particularly areas such as printed electronics, which are central to printed and flexible sensors. This has been historically supported by IDTechEx's parallel activities in organizing the leading industry conferences and exhibitions covering printed, flexible, and wearable electronics. IDTechEx has the unique ability to curate a network in these topic areas, facilitating the analysis in this report.
This report provides critical market intelligence about the 8 printed sensor technology areas involved. This includes:
A review of the context and technology behind printed and flexible sensors:
History and context for each technology area
General overview of important technologies and materials
Overall look at printed and flexible sensor trends and themes within each technology area
Benchmarking and analysis of different players throughout
Full market characterization for each printed sensor technology:
Review of key sectors where printed sensor technologies are established
Discussion and insight into emerging and future applications of printed and flexible sensors, including the meta trends and market drivers for their growth
Critical market evaluation using case studies featuring commercial successes and failures of printed sensors
Market analysis throughout:
Reviews of printed sensor players throughout each key sector, analyzed from over 30 companies
Market forecasts from 2024-2034 for 8 printed sensor technology areas, including full narrative, limitations, and methodologies for each
To find out more about the new IDTechEx report “Printed and Flexible Sensors 2024-2034: Technologies, Players, Markets”, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/FlexSensors
BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC’s Validation Services program has awarded an IPC-1791, Trusted Electronics Fabricator Qualified Manufacturer Listing (QML) requalification to FTG Circuits’ Haverhill, Mass. location.
FTG Circuits manufactures printed circuit boards for leaders in the aviation, defense, and high-technology industries.
“IPC-1791 Qualified Manufacturer Listing incorporates the NIST-SP-800 and verifies that FTG Circuits Haverhill has successfully achieved robust and stringent cyber, physical, and chain-of-custody protocols to assure the security of our customers’ products and critical IP,” commented Peter Bigelow, president of FTG East. He added, “We are proud to have achieved the distinction as an IPC Validation Services Qualified Trusted Fabricator Supplier since 2020.”
IPC's Validation Services QML program was developed to promote supply chain verification. It also provides auditing and qualification of electronics companies' products and identifies processes that conform to IPC standards. "Unlike other audit programs, IPC's Validation Services programs uniquely provide technical and in-depth assessments of products and processes following IPC standards," said Randy Cherry, IPC director of Validation Services. "We are pleased to recognize FTG Circuits, Haverhill on becoming members of IPC's network of trusted QML suppliers and their requalification.”
WASHINGTON – The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today released the following statement from SIA President and CEO John Neuffer regarding President Biden’s State of the Union address.
“During tonight’s State of the Union address, President Biden highlighted the initial progress made in implementing the landmark CHIPS and Science Act, which is on track to greatly strengthen America’s economy, national security, and semiconductor supply chains. The Commerce Department has taken important early steps to advance CHIPS manufacturing incentives and research investments, and we look forward to seeing continued headway in the weeks and months ahead.
“Companies in the semiconductor ecosystem have announced 80 new manufacturing projects in the U.S. since CHIPS was first introduced in Congress, totaling more than $250 billion in private investments across 22 states. These projects are projected to create 45,000 direct jobs and support hundreds of thousands of additional jobs throughout the U.S. economy.
“We commend President Biden and bipartisan leaders in Congress for their longstanding efforts in support of the CHIPS Act and urge the administration to continue implementing CHIPS in an effective and expeditious manner. We also call on leaders in Washington to enact policies that will grow the STEM talent pipeline, promote U.S. technology leadership, and maintain access to global markets.
“These policies will help ensure the CHIPS Act delivers maximum benefits for U.S. semiconductor production and innovation while also promoting America’s long-term economic and national security.”
