Presented by
Masayuki Kanehara
Nominated by
Okayama University
C-INK provides conductive metal nanoink and ultra-fine-pitch printing systems for printed electronics.
Printed electronics refers to the production of various electrical devices by printing, for example the printing of electronic circuits on curved surfaces. As printing is considered an easy and low-cost method, printing electronics is expected to facilitate widespread, very low-cost, low-performance electronics for applications such as PCBs (printed circuit boards), touch panels, RFID, etc.
C-INK’s core innovation consists of both stable inkjet-printable metallic conductive ink and an ultra-fine-pitch inkjet system. Their nanoink has several advantages over conventional ink: usually, the printing process for printed electronics requires heat, which inhibits printing on flexible substrates that heat would normally distort. C-INK has developed a method that allows devices to be printed at room temperature, thus making it possible to use flexible substrate and print electronic circuits that can be bent and folded. C-INK’s ultra-fine inkjet system can currently print as finely as 30/30 micron L/S and will achieve 10/10 micron in the near future.
The combination of C-INK’s nanoink and ultra-fine-pitch printing system is a quantum- leap technology that can change the production processes for PCBs, touch panels, and other electronics.