Optomec Teams with Lockheed and GE to Secure NextFlex Contract Award
Optomec, a leading global supplier of production grade additive manufacturing (AM) systems for 3D Printed Metals and 3D Printed Electronics, today announced that the company, in concert with development partners Lockheed Martin, Binghamton University, General Electric Company, Intrinsiq Materials, and the University of Maryland, was recently awarded one of five development projects from NextFlex®, to help bring Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) to widespread adoption. NextFlex is America’s FHE Manufacturing Institute and a leading force in the U.S. manufacturing industry. FHE is a new class of lightweight, low cost, flexible, stretchable, conformable and efficient devices for the Internet of Things (IoT), medical, robotics and communication markets.
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Aerosol Jet 5 Axis System, printing antennas and sensors on three cell phone inserts. (Photo: Business Wire)
The project, entitled “Conformal Printing of Conductor and Dielectric Materials onto Complex 3D Surfaces” has a total value on $3.1 million. The total cost-shared value of contracts from all NextFlex project calls to date is $45 million, signaling the confidence of industry, academia and government leaders for bringing FHE mainstream.
The goal of the project is to enable conformal printing of conductor and dielectric materials on complex 3D surfaces by advancing tooling, software and printing processes. Optomec’s contribution includes the upfront delivery of two Pilot Line systems to be installed at the NextFlex Technology Hub in San Jose, California and in New York using Optomec Aerosol Jet 5-axis (5x) printing systems. Additional existing Aerosol Jet systems will be made available at a number of the team member facilities. Advanced tool path generation software will enable the project team to print conformal circuitry at resolutions down to 10 microns onto 3D surfaces using Aerosol Jet 5x systems. As a result, Lockheed, the project lead, will deliver conformal sensors, 3D antenna structures and non-planar circuit routing demonstrators.
“Optomec is committed to supporting industries’ growing need to deploy smart, connected devices that take advantage of data and cloud computing advances to improve performance and lower cost throughout the product life cycle,” said Optomec CEO, Dave Ramahi. “We are very excited to be part of this important project and to be working with our NextFlex partners to accelerate the development of FHE-enabled products.”
Click here for more information on all 5 NextFlex project calls.
About NextFlex
NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, is a leading force in the Manufacturing USA network. Formed through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and FlexTech Alliance, NextFlex is a consortium of companies, academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of FHE. Since its formation in 2015, NextFlex’s elite team of thought leaders, educators, problem solvers and manufacturers have come together to collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce gap and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more information, visit www.nextflex.us and follow NextFlex on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
About Optomec
Optomec is a privately-held, rapidly growing supplier of Additive Manufacturing systems. Optomec’s patented Aerosol Jet Systems for printed electronics and LENS 3D Printers for metal components are used by industry to reduce product cost and improve performance. Together, these unique printing solutions work with the broadest spectrum of functional materials, ranging from electronic inks to structural metals and even biological matter. Optomec has more than 200 marquee customers around the world, targeting production applications in the Electronics, Energy, Life Sciences and Aerospace industries.
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LENS is a registered trademark of Sandia National Labs; Aerosol Jet is a registered trademark of Optomec.
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