14 DAY TRIAL // So far, 3D printing technologies capable of creating functional electronics have been few and far between, and the few examples that do exist weren't made exclusively via automatic additive manufacturing. Nano Dimension is supposed to change that.
In truth, 3D printed electronics are only starting to learn how to walk, figuratively speaking. Only some proof-of-concept designs and prints have been revealed so far.
That self-assembling lamp that Harvard 3D printed a while ago continues to be the coolest example of this budding technological field.
Israel, though, wants to be the first country to achieve true 3D printed electronics devices, or at least printed circuit boards on which those electronic devices can be built.
The government grant
Nano Dimension has received $500,000 / €400,000 from The Israeli Office of the Chief Scientist, a government office whose purpose is to boost innovation in all industries.
Seeing the potential provided by the latest advanced in additive manufacturing, it intends for the money to be used in the development of a 3D printer capable of creating PCBs (printed circuit boards).
Since Nano Dimension has an exclusive license to use silver nano-particle processes, it was an obvious choice for the investment.
The Silver nano-particle process was developed by Prof. Magadassi (a fairly renowned name in the science community) and patented by Yissum, the Hebrew University’s technology transfer company.
The benefits of in-house PCB 3D printing would be two-fold: the process would be faster, and you wouldn't have to pay someone else to do it, and would let you borrow design ideas and whatnot.
The 3D printer
We're not sure how it will turn out, to be honest. Even Nano Dimension doesn't have a final idea, despite its extensive research and development of mechanical systems, software and nano-particle ink.
There is a preliminary plan though, even a prototype, as you can see in the attached photo and the video embedded below. An uncanny shape, to be sure. It's supposed to use inkjet deposition to make multi-layer PCBs.
Once the product hits the market, every single computer / consumer electronics repair shop and engineering lab out there, not to mention budding inventor, will have a new way to fix thing and / or express themselves. Sadly, the price probably won't be all that low. We can only hope that it won't be in the hundreds of thousands (or, heavens forbid, millions) that metal 3D printers tend to ship for, with just a couple exceptions.
