Production Grade Systems for 3D Printed Metals and Printed Electronics to be Highlighted

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 18, 2015 — Optomec, a global supplier of 3D printing systems for production applications, announced today that Mr. Mike O’Reilly, Optomec Director - Aerosol Jet Product Management, will give a presentation at the RAPID conference entitled, “3D Printed Electronics - Functionalizing Smart Devices Which are Empowering the Industrial Internet of Things.” Mr. O’Reilly’s presentation will be featured in the “Direct Write Printed Materials and Electronics II” track on Wednesday, May 20 at 2 pm. Additionally, Dr. Richard Grylls, Optomec LENS General Manager, will present information on the recently unveiled Hybrid LENS CNC Machining Center, an achievement which paves the way to accelerate industrial adoption of 3D metal additive manufacturing. Dr. Grylls’ presentation will be featured in the “America Makes Theatre” on Wednesday May 19 at 11 am. The RAPID conference will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center in California, May 19-21. In addition to the presentation, the Optomec exhibit (booth #943) will showcase 3D printed metal and printed electronics production grade applications.

In Mr. O’Reilly’s presentation, he will discuss how there are currently 50B+ connected Smart Devices today with an expected 13B new units/year through 2019. Connected devices require antennas and smart devices require sensors. His presentation will explain how Optomec Aerosol Jet high volume 3D printing systems are used in mainstream production today to manufacture antennas and sensors, delivering lower production costs than conventional production methods. In Dr. Grylls’ presentation he will discuss how integrating advanced 3D metal printing technology within a new or used CNC machine tool enables a non-disruptive and cost effective approach to speed adoption of 3D printing within existing production environments. Recently, under a project funded by America Makes and the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), Optomec and its partners unveiled a legacy Fadal Vertical Mill upgraded with LENS 3D metal printing technology. The Hybrid LENS CNC Machining Center utilizes an interface familiar to the machinist and enables both additive and subtractive processes to be performed on the same metal part on the same machine.

Optomec’s Aerosol Jet Printers are used to directly print functional electronic circuitry and components onto low-temperature, non-planar substrates, without the need for masks, screens, or plating. The Aerosol Jet process utilizes an innovative aerodynamic focusing technique to collimate a dense mist of material-laden micro droplets into a tightly controlled beam to print features as small as 10 microns or as large as several millimeters in a single pass. A wide assortment of materials can be printed with the Aerosol Jet system including conductive nano-particle inks and conductive polymers, dielectrics, conductive epoxies, ceramics, and bio-active materials. Aerosol Jet systems are used to print signal and power circuits, embedded sensors, conformal antennas and fuel cells, and to dispense conductive adhesives for solder-free attachment of integrated circuits and other components. For more information on Aerosol Jet printing,  click here.

Optomec LENS 3D Metal Printers are used to cost-effectively repair, rework and manufacture high-performance metal components in materials such as titanium, stainless steel, and super alloys. LENS printers use the energy from a high-power laser to build up structures one layer at a time directly from powdered metals. The resulting fully functional metal structures offer excellent mechanical properties, similar to forged components for many applications. LENS printers are used throughout the entire product lifecycle for applications ranging from Materials Research to Repair and Rework to Low Volume Manufacturing. For more information on LENS printers,  click here.

Optomec is a privately-held, rapidly growing supplier of Additive Manufacturing systems. Optomec's patented Aerosol Jet Systems for printed electronics and LENS 3D Printers for metal components are used by industry to reduce product cost and improve performance. Together, these unique printing solutions work with the broadest spectrum of functional materials, ranging from electronic inks to structural metals and even biological matter. Optomec has more than 150 marquee customers around the world, targeting production applications in the Electronics, Energy, Life Sciences and Aerospace industries.

LENS is a registered trademark of Sandia National Laboratories.

Aerosol Jet and Optomec are registered trademarks of Optomec, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150518006573/en/

Optomec
Shayna Watson, 505-761-8250
Email Contact