CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND – New printers that print conductive ink and other materials are targeting printed circuit boards, enabling rapid, local prototyping while protecting company IP, says IDTechEx Research.

The opportunity is being explored mainly by startup companies, the research firm says. Of those involved, 45% are targeting the low-cost printer opportunity (under $3,500 per printer), focusing on the educational and hobbyist markets.

The rest are focusing on the industrial market, targeting up to six circuit layers, which accounts for 43% of all PCBs produced.

IDTechEx Research finds both groups have to contend with higher resistivity of the ink, although the increasing supply of nanoparticle inks will help close the performance gap with etched traces.

This will culminate in at least $130 million of specialist equipment sales in 2020, and thereafter scale rapidly, as more materials become available and the ability to print on everything from flexible substrates to 3D surfaces unleashes current design constraints.

The new wave of printed electronics manufacturing will enable new product designs, the firm says.

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