Industrial Area

Functional printing & embedded devices

We integrate extensive experience in thin-film devices with conventional electronics to deliver more flexible and innovative products.

Eurecat has a technology unit with more than ten years of experience in printed electronics and conventional electronics. Together with the centre’s other capabilities, this allows us to deliver solutions to complex and specific challenges in a wide range of sectors including medicine, wellness and health, sport, packaging and mobility.

We are a member of the leading printed electronics clusters and associations such as the OE-A, the Functional Print Cluster , 3NEO Advanced Printing Platform or the Cluster of Advanced Materials Cluster of Catalonia. We have received international recognition for our innovations over the years with numerous awards at trade fairs and congresses such as the LOPEC, ChemPlastExpo and the Graphic Communication and Industry Association of Catalonia.​

Services

Functional printing

  • Printing of thin-film devices to obtain flexible devices capable of adapting to virtually any type of surface thanks to their form factor
  • Formulation and adaptation of functional inks depending on the printing technique or substrate required in each case
  • Surface treatments to modify the physical and chemical properties of substrates
  • Printing and hybridization of flexible electronic circuits
  • Integration and printing of radio-frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC) antennas
  • Identification and assessment of opportunities to improve existing products through the introduction of printed or flexible electronics
  • Printing of strain gauges, heating elements, and physical sensors
  • Printing of electronic circuits using different printing techniques

In-Mould Electronics (IME)

  • Design of functional parts with integrated electronic devices
  • Printing of electronic circuits and hybridization of discrete components
  • Thermoforming of plastic parts with functional printing and decorative inks
  • Overmolding of plastic parts with functional inks and decorative inks
  • Overmolding of printed electronics with rigid plastic and flexible elastomers
  • Development of smart structural parts integrated into composites
  • Overmolding of devices in flexible elastomeric matrices
actuadors

Printed Health & Environmental Sensors (PHES)

  • Printing of sensors on flexible and elastic substrates using functional inks
  • Printing of physical, chemical sensors and biosensors through printed electronics
  • Design of microfluidic devices (Lab-on-Chip) with integration of printed sensors
  • Development of Point-of-Care (PoC) diagnostic devices
  • Development of custom electronics and signal acquisition and analysis
  • Design and development of lateral-flow devices

Smart Electronic Devices (SME)

  • Innovation, design and development of new applications involving the integration of electronics into all types of smart devices
  • Custom hardware and firmware development
  • Development of wearable devices
  • Wireless communication
  • Artificial intelligence in embedded systems
  • Signal analysis and processing
  • Custom app development

Printed Energy Devices (PED)

  • Design and manufacturing of printed components for hydrogen technologies and energy storage
  • Functional printing of membranes, electrodes, and MEAs using screen printing, spray coating, and slot-die coating
  • Ink formulation, printability optimization, and physicochemical and electrochemical characterization
  • Development of flexible printed batteries for smart packaging, wearables, and IoT applications
  • Evaluation of materials (catalysts, membranes, ionomers) and support for process scaling (TRL 3–7)

Equipment

Plastronic Pilot Plant

As a result of the centre’s commitment to functional printing, Eurecat has a pilot plastronics plant that is unique in Southern Europe due to its characteristics, enabling companies to test proof-of-concept solutions incorporating printed and hybrid electronics on plastic surfaces for different applications.

The facility consists of two clean rooms that allow the orderly combination of different manufacturing processes: one dedicated to printing and electronics, and another focused on plastic processing.

More information
Multimedia

Representative sectors

Automotive

Health

Energy

Resources

Textile

Contact

Cristina Casellas

Director of the Functional Printing & Embedded Devices Unit at Eurecat

MBA. Chemical Technical Engineer specialized in the development of materials, processes, and products from the School of Industrial Technical Engineering of Barcelona (EUETIB), affiliated with UPC. She has over 8 years of experience in the chemical industry, mainly in the formulation and deposition of inks and resins. Since 2007, she has focused on the field of printed electronics, initially at the CETEMMSA technology center, leading research and innovation projects, and since 2015 at Eurecat Technology Centre of Catalonia as a technology transfer manager, promoting the unit’s technological capabilities to meet market needs. She currently leads the Functional Printing and Integrated Devices Unit at Eurecat.

Highlighted projects

H-LEAF

H-LEAF develops new sustainable and scalable materials and printing processes for the manufacturing of electrodes and membranes without perfluorinated substances, with the aim of improving hydrogen production and contributing to the energy transition in Spain.

POC4TRIAGE

The POC4TRIAGE project develops new PoC devices capable of rapidly detecting a patient’s cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular status in emergency and critical care units.

SmILE

SmILE develops intelligent solutions to reduce the impact of non-communicable musculoskeletal diseases (MSK-NCDs) in older adults through prevention and early intervention.

Synatra

SYNergistic architectures for next gen Agrivoltaics incorporating TRAnsparent organic solar modules.

Cross-cutting services

Scientific and technological diagnosis

  • Analysis and identification of product improvement opportunities through the incorporation of printed, flexible or hybrid electronics
  • State-of-the-art studies and technical advisory services
  • Technical feasibility studies
  • In-house laboratory analysis for the characterization of physical and chemical parameters of inks and substrates

Development and innovation

  • Development of proof-of-concept solutions and demonstrators
  • Prototyping
  • Pre-series production and industrial scaling
  • Support and guidance in the industrialization process
  • Development of public and private projects
  • Specialized training

Multimedia

Synatra

The SYNATRA project revolutionises the field of agrovoltaics by integrating transparent organic photovoltaic modules with tailored light absorption into agricultural structures to stimulate a synergistic co-production of energy and plants.

eLEAF

e- LEAF is a novel design concept for fuel cell and water electrolyzer that brings flexibility and ultra-lightweight features to the cells

Lighting cube

Development of a flexible keyboard, light as paper, capable of controlling different lighting sequences of methacrylate cubes.

Optogenerapy

Optogenerapy project has developed the first subcutaneous biophotonic implant using optogenetic technology to deliver doses of therapeutic proteins to patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

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