EngeniusMicro is using additive manufacturing to advance the state of art, with focus in additive electronics, by building own in-house printers capable of 3D printing electronic circuits and RF components. We provide modeling and simulation services with focus on printable RF components such as specialty application antenna and sensors.

EngeniusMicro’s mechanical engineering team can adapt to meet customer needs with everything from concept design to fully functional pre-production prototypes. EngeniusMicro can quickly maneuver to address customer needs in a flexible manner. EngeniusMicro’s experience includes:

DESIGN FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Topology Optimization, Geometry Impossible in Conventional Manufacturing

PRINTED ELECTRONICS & RF DEVICES
Printed Antennas, Connectors and RF Filters

CUSTOM HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT
EMU Research Additive Manufacturing Platform

SPECIAL MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT
Special Dielectric Materials and Hypersonic Compatible Materials

NOVEL PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
In-Process Monitoring, Conformal Printing, Inside Surface Printing

MULTI-PROCESS MANUFACTURING
Modular Tool Systems, Additive + Subtractive, Printing on Existing Objects

CUSTOM CONTROL INSTRUCTIONS DEVELOPMENT
Post-Process Script Development, Firmware Development, and Software Development

Materials & Process Capabilities at EngeniusMicro

STEREOLITHOGRAPHY

EngeniusMicro uses SLA processes to produce many functional and specially designed components, especially when developing new concept prototypes that require high detail and fine feature reproduction. A variety of resins allow us to design objects that require special characteristics such as flexibility or high temperature resistance.
Some of the more interesting objects we have produced have been tiny springs with features under 80 microns, optical prisms, and ceramic nozzles for our 3d printers.
 
Maximum Build Volume
145 × 145 × 175 mm
5.7 × 5.7 × 6.9 in
Layer Thickness (Axis Resolution)
25, 50, 100 microns
0.001, 0.002, 0.004 inches
Laser Spot Size (FWHM)
140 microns
0.0055 inches

Stereolithography produces parts in a layer-by-layer fashion using photo-polymerization, a process by which UV light causes chains of molecules to link, forming polymers that then make up a 3 dimensional solid object.

Standard Resins

Clear: Transparency, polishes to near optical clarity, great for internal channels and working with light.

White: Neutral and matte tone, slight translucency when thin. Works well for sanding, and provides a great base color for painting prints.

Grey: Neutral and matte tone, great for showing off surface finish and for printing small, accurate features, photographs easily.

Black: Highly pigmented, our most opaque, high detail resin. Matte surfaces, great for printing small, intricate features.

Engineering Resins

Flexible: Simulates an 80A durometer rubber. Choose for impact resistance and compression, great for ergonomic soft-touch grips.

Tough: Simulates ABS plastic. Choose for applications that will undergo high stress and strain. Great for functional prototyping of assemblies, machining, snap-fits and living hinges.

Ceramic: A UV-curable ceramic resin. This porcelain photo-curable resin. After firing, objects may be glazed with commercially available glazes.  Glazed objects are food safe, microwave, oven, dishwasher and freezer safe.

FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING

EngeniusMicro uses fused deposition modeling to produce rapid prototypes in a variety of materials each with their own special properties and characteristics.  FDM printers are relatively fast allow for the on-demand creation of the objects you need, when you need them. We specialize in modifying consumer and prosumer grade printers to print materials outside their normal capabilities as well as multi-material printing and printing of additive electronics.

Maximum Build Volume
280 x 280 x 250 mm
11.02 x 11.02 x 9.8 in
Layer Thickness (Axis Resolution)
with 0.5 mm nozzle:
0.050 to 0.5 mm
0.002 – 0.02 in
Average Print Speed:
30 – 50 mm/sec (1.18 – 1.97in)
Using default nGen profile

Fused Filament Deposition uses a continuous filament of a thermoplastic material fed from a spool, through a moving, heated printer extruder head. Molten material is forced out of the print head’s nozzle and is deposited on the growing workpiece to form a 3 dimensional object.

PLA (Polylactic Acid)

PLA is a biodegradable thermoplastic polyester. It is a commonly manufactured from renewable resources such as cornstarch, tapioca roots, and sugarcane.

PLA is harder that ABS plastic, has a lower melting temperature (180°C to 220°C) and a glass transition temperature between 60°C and 65°C. It is dimensionally stable and  can be printed with or without a heated build plate. It adheres easily to borosilicate glass, Lexan/polycarbonate sheets, blue painters tape, Polyimide (Kapton) tape, etc.

PLA is often used in model making applications.

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

ABS plastic is a common thermoplastic. It is less brittle (tougher) than PLA. With a glass transition temperature around 105°C it requires a higher extruder temperature than PLA, 230°C ±15°. ABS creates mild fumes when being extruded and printers should be operated in a well-ventilated area.

ABS requires a heated build plate heated to around 110°C due to its tendency to warp when printing larger prints. It adheres easily to borosilicate glass, Lexan/polycarbonate sheets blue painters tape, Polyimide (Kapton) tape, etc.

TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer)

The flexibility of this filament actually makes it quite resilient and sturdy producing objects with a Shore A hardness of approximately 75-85A. This filament is easily printed in most printers capable of printing PLA or ABS plastics, though it has a slightly higher melting temperature (240°C), and is ideal for multi-material applications requiring portions of the design to flex, such as shock absorption devices and hinges.

Printing TPE benefits from a build plate heated to approximately 60°C and direct drive extruders.

Nylon

Stronger than PLA and more durable than ABS, Nylon offers the benefit of a material robust enough for functional parts. Nylon’s high melting temperature and low friction coefficient present a versatile printing option allowing flexibility.

ULTEM (Polyetherimide)

ULTEM offers high thermal resistance, high strength and stiffness, and broad chemical resistance. ULTEM is available in transparent and opaque custom colors, as well as glass filled grades. Plus, ULTEM copolymers are available for even higher heat, chemical and elasticity needs.

ULTEM 1000 (standard, unfilled polyetherimide) has a high dielectric strength, inherent flame resistance, and extremely low smoke generation. These high mechanical properties and performs in continuous use to 340 °F (170 °C) makes it desirable for many engineering applications.

PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone)

With its unique mechanical, chemical and thermal properties, PEEK has many advantages over other polymers and is able to replace industrial materials such as aluminium and steel. It allows its users to reduce total weight, processing cycles and increase durability. Compared to metals, PEEK polymer allows a greater freedom of design and improved performance.

PEEK is used to fabricate items used in demanding applications, including bearings, piston parts, pumps, HPLC columns, compressor plate valves, and electrical cable insulation. It is one of the few plastics compatible with ultra-high vacuum applications.

INK DISPENSING & MICRO-JETTING

Ink Micro-Dispensing

EngeniusMicro has developed our own ink micro-dispensing print head called the MicroDispense®. The MicroDispense® utilizes positive pressure and a needle valve to accurately dispense incredibly detailed patterns, and circuits on the substrate. The MicroDispense print head currently operates on a 3-axis CNC mill, replacing the conventional tool head and was developed in-house with many of the components, such as valves and nozzles, created and printed using our SLA resin printers. These printers are able to quickly produce circuits on par with medium density circuit boards produced through conventional photoresist and etch manufacturing methods.

Micro-Jetting

EngeniusMicro currently utilizes drop-on-demand printing technology through the use of a Fujifilm Dimatix Materials Printer. We print conductive inks on a variety of substrates from as thin as a few microns up to 25mm thickness using piezo jets to precisely deposit inks onto the substrate.  The print is then submitted to post processing to sinter the conductive particles in the ink while evaporating away solvents and other volatiles. Using the appropriate ink recipe this process can produce traces as narrow as 10 and 5 micron gaps between traces. EngeniusMicro has printed a number of flexible circuits in addition to advanced sensors specifically developed to be printed on flexible materials using conductive inks.

COMPOSITES

Continuous Fiber Composites

Continuous fibers can be printed simultaneously with polymers to produce incredibly stiff and strong composite objects. We have the ability to embed continuous fibers of the following materials into 3D printed Nylon components.

  • Carbon Fiber
  • Glass Fiber
  • Kevlar Fiber
Chopped Carbon Fiber

Chopped fiber composite materials print similarly to the standard printing filaments and do not require special printing equipment.  While the do not have the extreme performance characteristics of continuous fiber filaments, they do produce incredibly light and strong components.

Filled PLA Composites

Filled PLA composites provide the opportunity to print materials with a variety on spacial characteristics.  These composites include iron, stainless steel, bronze, copper, carbon fiber, and wood.  These materials allow for a wide variety of properties and finishes.