A new 3D Printing approach for the creation of high performance personalised electronic devices.

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This paper has presented a new technique for the production of rigid and flexible 3D electronic circuitry that exhibit excellent thermal, mechanical, and electromagnetic characteristics. The digitally driven nature of this process enables new designs freedoms through the precise spatial control of high performance conductive and dielectric materials. This work demonstrates how closer integration of mechanical and electronic systems can be achieved through embedded actuation, sensing, power transfer, data processing and communications. The ability to solder surface mount components offers a route to achieving the reliability of modern electronic systems whilst enabling the transition to complex 3D printed architectures. Incorporation of movement within these functional structures allows designers to consider how to build active origami, auxetic and bioinspired designs. The chemical modification and light-based patterning approach overcomes many of the limitations of direct printing methods particularly in relation to conductivity, resolution and adhesion of the conductor layers. Furthermore, these results can be achieved using a combination of low-cost, commercially available filaments, printers, and optical patterning equipment with minor modifications. The overall resolution and performance of this new manufacturing approach opens up routes to produce mass-customised medical devices, personalized wearable technology and bespoke robotic systems.

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