Ciba Inc.
Klybeckstrasse 141, P.O. Box
Basel
4002
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 61 636 49 16
Fax.:
+41 61 636 25 59
An electronic revolution with Ciba® XYMARA™ Electra
By Le Vin Chin
Supermarkets with no queues for the cash till? Warehouses that restock themselves when the shelves are empty? These are just some of the technical advances promised by the advent of printable conductive inks – potentially creating huge benefits for our lives and lifestyles.
Ciba is launching a new range of printable, electrically conductive inks – the Ciba® XYMARA™ Electra range - which can be used to print electronic circuits. This is revolutionary when you consider the fact that conventional microchips need to go through tortuous multi-step industrial processes in highly controlled environments. Being able to simply print circuit features means cost and time savings for both the design engineer and the manufacturer.
 | Being printable, these circuits also offer advantages over existing technology – circuitry can be printed on paper and the paper may be rolled or folded up without loss of performance. Supermarkets and warehouses already use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to track their goods and stores already use them to prevent theft. Printable electronic inks will allow them to do this faster and more efficiently – the RFID tags can be printed directly onto the packaging along with the rest of the design! Ciba® XYMARA™ Electra inks can be applied at high speeds and have superior line definition and resolution. The first generation of inks has been designed for rotary screen and flat-bed screen printing; inks for other printing methods are in preparation. |
Ciba® XYMARA™ Electra inks will be presented at the Printed Electronics Europe Conference, April 17-19 in Cambridge, UK, and at the European Coatings Show from May 8-10 in Nuremberg, Germany, at stand no. 650 in Hall 4. We look forward to presenting these revolutionary inks to you there!
