Printed Electronics Limited Public Funding

To achieve the UK Government net-zero ambition requires an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050\. Decarbonising domestic buildings is essential, as heating homes accounts for 7% of the UK's total energy demand. Heat-flux sensors measure heat transfer rate through surfaces, like walls and windows, to find the 'U-value' (i.e., thermal conductivity) of a building. This value quantifies the insulation performance of building materials. A growing application for heat flux sensors is their use in the construction of green buildings. One of the main aspects of a green building is that the power consumption of these buildings are bare minimal. To achieve this, it is necessary to determine where and how much heat (flux) is created at different parts of the building so that relevant construction material / HVAC operation can be applied for better heat distribution. This information is crucial for assessing energy efficiency and optimising a building's ongoing fabric performance. Unfortunately, current technologies for measuring the thermal performance of building fabrics are still too costly and complex, severely limiting the ability to properly assess, and thus effectively finance energy efficiency improvements. Our goal is to reduce the cost, and increase accessibility of heat-flux measurement technology for U-value measurement using new materials and processes. Vector Homes develop novel sensors and materials for green housing. This project will fund a collaboration with Printed Electronics and Tyrrell Building Technologies. Together we will develop a low-cost, fully-printed heat-flux sensor, by leveraging modern screen-printing, a high-throughput and industrially compatible manufacturing technology. We will design a 'smart-building' product around this sensor, for seamless integration into new-builds, to provide continuous thermal-health-monitoring. A disruptive technology for assessing and improving the real-life thermal envelopes of buildings.

**Safety** In-flight icing presents a significant challenge for safe flight and has contributed to several accidents. Topics of particular interest to the aerospace community are, Supercooled Large Droplets (SLD) that resulted in the loss of American Eagle Flight 4184, and Ice Crystal Icing (ICI) conditions that resulted in the loss of Air France Flight 447\. These hazards caused icing to occur in locations or at a rate that the aircraft were not designed for. Therefore, robust detection of SLD and ICI is a high priority for the aerospace industry. **Green Ice Protection Systems** In addition to the icing safety challenges, ice protection systems can consume a larger proportion of available onboard power. Even relatively small aircraft can consume 100's of kilowatts. Reduction of this power is an area of intense research as part of the move to greener aviation. **Robust Atmospheric Ice Detection System (RAIDS)** RAIDS is designed to play a part in addressing both challenges by: * Rapidly detecting both the presence and severity of hazardous, standard, SLD and ICI icing conditions * Producing a small, low-power sensor that can be used to locally detect ice and therefore focus power in areas where ice protection is needed whilst matching or improving the level of safety vs. existing systems. A prototype of the concept has been demonstrated under a research and development programme that included both icing wind tunnel and flight test. Under this NATEP programme, new detection technology, manufacturing methods and sensor configurations shall be developed to ensure RAIDS can address all the challenges fully.

The 3DP-Harness project is industrial research to develop a demonstrator for an innovative technology for the robotic manufacture and installation of wiring harnesses through digital and additive manufacturing. This solution would revolutionise one of the last labour intensive elements of high value manufacturing. The SME partners, CEL and PEL, are UK SMEs in the high tech manufacturing sector. Amphenol Invotec are the UK's leading PCB manufacturer with an especially strong focus in defence, aero and space sectors. The initial customers for this technology are Tier 1 aerospace suppliers due to the specific advantages of the technology.

"Manufacturing in space has the potential to positively affect human spaceflight operations by enabling the in-orbit manufacture of replacement parts and tools, which could reduce existing logistics requirements for the International Space Station (ISS) and future long-duration human space missions. In-space manufacturing could enable space-based construction of large structures and, perhaps someday, in the future, entire spacecraft. In-space manufacturing can also help to reimagine a new space architecture that is not constrained by the design and manufacturing confines of gravity, current manufacturing processes, and launch-related structural stresses. The Space Manufacturing, Assembly and Repair Technology Exploration and Realisation (SMARTER) project will investigate the technical feasibility of manufacturing in space. The project will focus on how reconfigurable autonomous robotic technologies can be used to automatically manufacture components, assemble large structures, and service or repair existing space assets. The SMARTER concept, i.e. a manufacturing factory in space, could ultimately lower launch costs, the exploration of space and improve mission sustainability i.e. extend the useful life of assets launched into space. The need for a reconfigurable, autonomous manufacturing space port or factory stems from the market changing the paradigm of space operations and the development of enabling new capabilities that will put mankind's ambition to the test. These changes include: cost reduction of payload launch and sustainable space exploration, creating satellite constellations, exploration further into space and habitation on other planets and carrying out preventative maintenance or servicing of assets in space. This vision has also been recognised by NASAs On-Orbit Satellite Servicing Study, October 2010\. Realistically speaking, this described use of outer space may only truly materialise in 10 -- 20 year timeframe; nonetheless the UK has the prime opportunity to position itself suitably for this opportunity by investing now."

Integrated Manufacture of Polymer and Conductive Tracks (IMPACT) is an exciting project focussed on creating an innovative 3D printer that combines deposition of polymer based materials and electrically conductive ink; as well as integrating a pick and place system capable of handling electronic modules within a particular dimensional envelope. This industrial-grade machine is focussed on enabling UK industry to manufacture saleable electromechanical products that are functionally stable and are finished to a ‘market ready’ standard. The applications for this technology are broad ranging but could include the production of Internet enabled sensors; facilitate distributed manufacturing in third world countries or military environments; and even be used to create educational products or healthcare devices to enhance quality of life. There are no machines on the market that accurately and reliably combine these two dissimilar materials to create production-grade results. Current 3D print technology is based on a Cartesian coordinate system (X,Y,Z), depositing one layer of material on top of another in a single plane to create a 3D object. This method has inherent limitations that affect surface finish, geometric tolerance and robustness. IMPACT will overcome these challenges so that industry can cost-effectively develop new products that are suitable for real market applications. This innovative print technology will be supported by the creation of an internet-enabled platform that can remotely integrate and control the 3D Printer. It will also incorporate an intelligent design for manufacture (DFM) function that is able to assess the design of a given product, evaluating its suitability for production using the machine, allowing users to optimise their products.

Photovolatic solar cells are renewable energy devices which convert light energy into electric energy. The cost of PV devices is still very high. We have deleloped silicon structures for application in PV with benefits of low temperature processes, thus less power consumption and a reduction in heat dissipation to the environment - reduces carbon footprint. Si structures can be deposited onto cheap/flexible plastic substrates , process is fully- scalable, compatible with an already existing industrial process (PECVD) , reduces manufacture cost and precursor to manufacturing industry. The project is aim to exploit the aforementioned benefits into photovoltaic solar cells.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Metals related manufacturing represents about 10% of all UK production activity and machining Metals related manufacturing represents about 10% of all UK production activity and machining remains the most important manufacturing process. According to the Manufacturing Technologies Association, in 2012 the UK machine tools, cutting tools and tool/work-holding equipment output was estimated to be around £960 million (£835 million exported) and the sector is estimated to employ 6100 people. This project seeks to develop intelligent tooling systems, which will improve the efficiency of machining processes. This project intends not only to support the UK machining sector, but in doing so will generate valuable know how for the UK.

The project consortium, which includes M-Solv (process developer and small-scale capacitive touch sensor (CTS) manufacturer), Thomas Swan (graphene manufacturer), Printed Electronics Ltd (inkjet ink formulator) and University of Surrey, aims to bring innvoations to CTS manufacture. CTS comprises of structured transparent conductors (TC), which sense the capacitance variations when fingers approaches. Conventional CTS are made of TC, indium tin oxide (ITO), in which indium is known to be scarce and hence expensive in the near future. This project will explore the use of silver nanowire (AgNW), together with graphene to replace ITO for fabricating CTS at a much lower cost.

The project partners will integrate printed electronics (PE) and conventional (CE) solid state electronics in order to improve functionality, reduce cost and increase scalability of a photonics based medical device. New methods will be employed in order to produce luminaires, printed sensors and PE/PE or PE/CE interconnects. These will be combined with conventional electronics such as memory and processors to make the device smart and therefore ensure patient compliance with the treatment regime.

Printed electronics analogues for many of the familiar electronic building-blocks (memory, logic, power, displays, etc.) are now available as discrete components. Although printed electronics offers the future possibility to fabricate multiple components on a single substrate this is not yet technically feasible and, in many cases, will not be economically feasible. Component fabrication-cost is optimised for manufacture as discrete devices with different sensitivities to substrate, material utilisation and processes. Similar to conventional electronics, integrated printed electronics components needs to be assembled using discrete components to establish early applications. This project will exploit the integration/assembly capabilities developed at CPI to integrate display and logic components onto a flexible printed interconnect substrate. Further the project will develop a novel process for connecting conventional rigid PCB to flexible printed circuitry.