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Introduction to the Journal
Printed electronics (or PE) has become a ‘disruptive technology’ that can offer significant market opportunities for potential users and suppliers of PE technology and the associated devices.
Some of the manufacturing developments underway are a major departure from the conventional methods used for silicon-based electrical and electronic components. PE devices can be thin, lightweight, robust, flexible, and based on very low cost materials such as paper or polymer films. In high volume, costs can potentially be low enough to make PE devices single use and disposable.
The breakthroughs taking place are therefore creating exciting possibilities for a wide range of new products and applications, including:
- ‘Intelligent’ & interactive products & packaging
- Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID)
- Lighting, scrollable displays & animated posters
- Patient health monitoring through interactive disposable medical devices
- Smart textiles & active clothing
- Toys & games
‘Disruptive’ PE technologies also provide new ways of creating products and service opportunities into new markets, rather than having to compete head-to-head with incumbent players and applications.
There are many potential applications for PE but IPI (Europe) has segmented these applications into 5 major categories as follows:
- Flexible Displays & Signage
- Printed Sensors Controlled Release
- Smart & Interactive Products & Packaging
- Brand Protection & Anti-Counterfeiting
- Energy Capture, Storage & Generation
For each of these application areas the PE Adoption Journal summarises where PE technologies (alone or when used as ‘hybrid’ solutions with conventional technologies) are being adopted and why.
An easy-to-use ‘traffic light’ system is used to show the status of commercial adoption and to summarise the progress being made in adopt various PE technologies in each main application area.
It is therefore intended to provide valuable guidance to technology developers and potential technology adopters in assessing which technologies are commercially viable in which applications and within what timeframe.
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