Researchers and developers are using NOVA to experiment with new materials and methods in fields like biomedical technology, e-textiles, aerospace, wearables, and more. (Photo: Business Wire)
Voltera’s new platform is said to unlock ‘rapid flexible hybrid electronics prototyping,’ according to a company co-founder
October 4, 2022
KITCHENER, Ontario—A manufacturing platform for printing flexible hybrid electronics, recently introduced by Voltera, uses direct-write technology to print circuits on soft, stretchable, and conformable surfaces, the company said in a release.
“This first-of-its-kind benchtop machine unlocks rapid flexible hybrid electronics prototyping and the ability to experiment with custom inks and a wide variety of substrates,” said Alroy Almeida, CEO and co-founder of Voltera, in the release. “NOVA is already being used to innovate how humankind explores deep space, to develop printed, on-skin sensors for medical imaging, and to prototype clothing that can measure your heart rate yet can go through the gentle cycle in your washing machine.”
NOVA’s precision extrusion technology is said to make it easier and faster to conduct research and develop the products of the future by enabling rapid benchtop iteration, leading to more reliable results, faster development times, and lower costs, Voltera said in the release.
“With NOVA, we can make devices and align them to sub 10-micron precision, which is essential to everything that we do,” said Alex Kashkin, graduate researcher, Velasquez Group at MIT, in the release. Kashkin is using NOVA to develop printed electron sources for neutralizing ionic thruster plumes in low-earth orbit. “If we have a 20-micron deviation, our devices explode. We need a lot of precision, we need to have tuned materials, and NOVA enables both.”
Technological advancement involves pushing the boundaries of what is known. According to Voltera, NOVA crosses the bridge between what researchers can do and what they wish they could do.
“I think where this sort of technology, NOVA, will shine is in applications that were not possible before. You shouldn’t fight or try to compete with silicon chips or PCBs. You should try to make something that’s impossible with those technologies,” said Gerd Grau, director of the Electronics Additive Manufacturing Lab at York University, in the release. Grau is using NOVA to develop on-skin biomedical tattoo electrodes.
NOVA is said to provide materials freedom to design soft, stretchable, conformable, and flexible electronics using any screen-printable ink and countless substrates. (Photo: Business Wire)
According to the release, subtractive methodologies “are great for traditional electronics,” but “the future of electronics is flexible—and that means the future of electronics is additive.”
As a direct-write, digital printer, NOVA reportedly enables innovation without requiring the tooling and high costs associated with screen printing. This is said to permit rapid design iteration while offering higher performance than other additive prototyping options, such as inkjet. It is also better for the environment because there is significantly less waste and material contamination, and NOVA can print circuits on eco-friendly materials, such as biodegradable substrates, the company said.
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