NESS ZIONA, ISRAEL -- A subsidiary of Nano Dimension has filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to patent the simultaneous curing and sintering of two types of ink to be used for 3D printing of electronic circuits.

Nano Dimension Technologies' application for curing and sintering conductive metal ink and insulator ink has the potential to reduce the number of critical systems in a printer and thus permit a "significant reduction in production costs" of the printer, increased printing speed, system miniaturization and increased overall system reliability, the company said in a press release.

The current standard curing and sintering approach uses a number of different systems to cure and sinter the inks. Each such system adds cost and complexity, while this new approach has the potential to reduce both.

Nano Dimension's method is enabled by the unique chemical structure of the inks, both of which are developed and manufactured in the company's laboratory. Nanoparticles in the ink absorb radiant energy, causing a plasmonic effect on the surface of the nanoparticle. The plasmonic waves are immediately converted into heat, which causes the fusion of silver nanoparticles due to the high surface energies at the nanoscale. This sintering process results in a final uniform metallic trace.

The photoinitiated insulating ink absorbs the radiation emitted by the advanced 3D printer's integrated process system and solidifies instantly. Once cured, the insulating ink demonstrates mechanical strength and high thermal resistance.