3D printer creates prototype multilayer pc boards

Said to be the first desktop-sized 3D printer designed specifically for the production of professional multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs), the DragonFly 2020 3D Printer is designed to let users build functional prototypes in-house in a matter of hours. The printer could replace the current standard prototyping practice — subtractive manufacturing — which is a labor- and material-intensive multistage process whose cost and complexity generally result in outsourcing of board prototyping to specialty manufacturers.

Using three-axis inkjet technology and highly conductive nano-inks, such as the company’s AgCite line of conductive silver nanoparticle inks for inkjet deposition, the 3D printer can create a typical small multilayer PCB, including all interconnections between layers, in about three hours. The printer accepts standard Gerber design files, and can fabricate boards up to approximately 200 x 200 mm with 80-100 µm traces and 150 µm interconnections and a minimum layer thickness of 3 µm. The printer is expected to be available in the second half of 2016 with a price of approximately $50K; AgCite conductive inks are currently available.