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Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org

A research collaborative between the University of Hamburg and DESY has developed a process suitable for 3-D printing that can be used to produce transparent and mechanically flexible electronic circuits. The electronics consists of a mesh of silver nanowires that can be printed in suspension and embedded in various flexible and transparent plastics (polymers). This technology can enable new applications such as printable light-emitting diodes, solar cells or tools with integrated circuits, as Tomke Glier from the University of Hamburg and her colleagues report in the journal Scientific Reports. The researchers are demonstrating the potential of their process with a flexible capacitor, among other things.

On a tour of Ford's Advanced Manufacturing Division last week they said that given the current speeds and capabilities of 3D printers tool-making and rapid prototyping are the places to realize the best gains, because they can do in hours and hundreds of dollars of feedstock what takes weeks and tens of thousands of dollars to do with outside suppliers. Further, they're integrating the design and printing process with Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) rigs such that teams all over the world can collaborate and prove out plans before they're implemented. Being able to integrate electronic circuits into a print can only boost those advantages.

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