If we can find a material that is a good electric conductor and is possible to use in a 3d printer we can use that to form electric conductors when printing an object. The materials we so far is using is insulators. And with the increasing number of RepRap printer with more than one print head we could use one for the base (insulating material) and one for the conducting material. A third head can be used to print text to identify components and connectors. If we add a fourth “pick and place” head that can put components on the printed object. This way we are not only producing a board with conductors but a complete electronic circuit.
Advantages
- Fewer steps in the production cycle. We can even make the enclosure in the process, or at least part of it.
- No increased cost for multiple layers in the design. Use as many layers as needed.
- Build the design on a metal plate for two reasons, heat dissipation and electric shielding and power distribution (ground-planes)
- Make power distribution layers, maybe we can build the decoupling capacitors with two planes.
- Via connections can easily be made, in any direction.
- With the small components we use today and tomorrow some components can be put inside the printed object. They can be oriented in a way that is not possible with today’s technique.
- Cheap prototyping and small series production.
- Can easily be introduced in developing countries to start a business.
Disadvantages
- Probably impossible to repair.
Might be problems
- Differences in print temperature for the different materials.
- Environmental impact of scrapped circuits and recycling of them.
- Cost of materials.
More thoughts
So far I have never heard of anyone discussing this but I got the idea when I read an article of printing circuits with an ink-jet printer that some researchers had been testing.
This is the start of my ideas and I think with the combined human effort it will eventually be made possible.
Ormerod #399 and He3D K200 dual head.
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