In the field of printing, coating and patterning, many of the same methods that are common in graphics printing and the coatings industry continue to be used. However, due to the increased requirements for resolution and registration, improvements have been made to the printing forms and machines. Some of these advances are beginning to overcome the trade-off between resolution and throughput.
Commercial – Analog & Digital
Inkjet Printing
It uses a piezoelectric crystal that deforms or vibrates when an electric current is applied. Each vibration ejects an ink droplet. This method offers high precision and is often used in professional printers.
Screen Printing
During the screen-printing process, ink is pushed through a mesh screen onto a substrate, resulting in a pattern on the substrate that corresponds to the design on the screen. This process can produce features up to 30 mm in length.
R&D – Analog & Digital
Spin coating
Spin coating of materials in four steps: a) Dispensing the fluid, b) Spreading the fluid by rotating the substrate at low speed, c) Spinning off excess fluid by rotating at high speed, d) Evaporation of the solvent
Micro Plasma Printing
Schematic representation of plasma printing, side view and top view of the plasma, the effect of the plasma on wetting properties of a substrate (left and right are untreated areas, and in the middle, a treated area is shown) and the possible surface modifications created with plasma printing.