Phytec 3D Prints Functional PCBs
Phytec Quickly and Economically Produces Complex PCB Prototypes With Nano Dimension’s DragonFly 2020 3D Printer
Based in Germany, PHYTEC is an industry leader offering cutting-edge solutions for the industrial embedded electronics market. The range of products and services includes System on Modules, Single Board Computers and hardware-specific software. In addition, the company offers solutions for IoT and Embedded Imaging and custom products, as well as housing design and assembly for turnkey solutions.
To continuously help its customers with designing new and improved products, PHYTEC uses the latest technology to improve its rapid prototyping and production processes. PHYTEC headquarters was one of the first companies to install the DragonFly 2020 3D Printer. Demand for prototypes from different customers was growing rapidly and PHYTEC was looking for a solution to reduce the development cycle time and improve quality.
The company saw the accuracy and precision of Nano Dimension’s unique 3D printed electronics technology as an opportunity to increase its rapid prototyping capacity for state-of-the-art electronics. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design is done in-house by PHYTEC. Once completed internally, the company typically provides Gerber files to PCB suppliers, either in Europe or Asia. This varies based on project and product constraints, complexity of the PCB, cost and time.
- Major time-savings in rapid development capabilities due to in-house printing of high quality PCB prototypes—10-15 times faster
- Errors can be identified in the early stages of the design process
- High quality PCB functional prototypes—unparalleled levels of accuracy and precision
- Designers can explore creative ideas, resulting in more innovative products
Improving Speed and Quality—Up to 15X Faster Than Traditional Way
The speed of the DragonFly 2020 3D Printer makes it possible for PHYTEC designers to get PCB prototypes 10 to 15 times faster than the traditional way. This enables PHYTEC to perform functional testing and quickly finalize the concept design in the early stages of development, effectively meeting customer’s needs. Errors can be immediately detected and eliminated. The result is increased quality of design, faster designs and shorter design cycles—from months or weeks to days.
“It takes us 12-18 hours depending on the size and complexity of a board to print a PCB, this is easily 10 to 15 times faster than ordering PCBs the traditional way, said Bodo Huber, Chief Technology Officer at PHYTEC. So within one working day, our production facility gets access to the first new PCB a new design.
Agile Iterative Hardware Design
Product development in industrial applications has become very agile since new types of appliances and products are continuously invented all over the world. Time-to-market is a key to success for PHYTEC’s customers. The DragonFly 2020 is a crucial technology for PHYTEC for iterative technology design, to enable agile hardware methodologies, generate time-savings and give customers a competitive edge.
“Onsite 3D printing of PCBs can easily save multiple days in waiting for PCBs, said Huber. This allows you to get early access to functional prototypes, you can do your design validation much earlier so the most important development of having a DragonFly 2020 3D Printer is a dramatic reduction in product development cycle time.”
In 2016, Fathom and Nano Dimension announced an agreement to collaborate on the introduction of Nano Dimension’s 3D printer—an innovative inkjet system allows designers and engineers to 3D print professional multi-layer circuit boards. Fathom was also the first to receive and install a Nano Dimension system in North America at its Oakland-based location. Start a conversation today with a Fathom expert about reserving a DragonFly 2020 system.
Credit / / As Read on Nano Dimensions Blog
