Functional printing & embedded systems
We have a long track record in printing thin-film devices, and this coupled with our conventional electronics capabilities enables us to deliver more flexible and innovative products to businesses.
Experience
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 and the 3DNEO Advanced Printing Platform. 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.
Functional printing
Formulating and customising functional inks to suit the printing technique or substrate required in each case.
Surface treatments to modify the physical and chemical characteristics of substrates.
Printing thin-film devices to obtain flexible devices with the capacity to adapt to practically any type of surface owing to their form factor.
Printing flexible electronic circuits.
Embedding and printing radio frequency identification (RFID) and near field communication (NFC) antennas.
Identifying and evaluating opportunities for enhancing existing products by introducing printed or flexible electronics.
In-Mould Electronics (IME)
Designing functional parts with embedded electronic devices.
Printing electronic circuits and hybridisation of discrete components.
Thermoforming plastic parts with functional printing and decorative inks.
Overmoulding plastic parts with functional inks and decorative inks.
Overmoulding printed electronics with rigid plastic and flexible elastomers.
Printed sensors and actuators
Printing sensors on flexible substrates and rigid substrates with functional inks.
Printing non-invasive biomarkers through printed and flexible electronics.
Electrochemical sensors and potentiometric sensors. Printed biosensors.
Ion selective electrodes (ISE), lateral-flow sensors and microfluidics.
Printing printed devices, strain gauges, heated devices, piezoelectric devices, etc.
Printing electronic circuits using a range of printing techniques.
Developing PoC (Point of Care) diagnostic devices.
Developing bespoke electronics and signal capture and analysis.
Smart Electronic Devices
Innovation, design and development of new applications including embedding electronics in all kinds of smart devices.
Developing bespoke hardware and firmware.
Developing wearables.
Wireless communication.
Artificial intelligence in embedded systems.
Signal analysis and processing.
Developing bespoke apps.
Plastronic Pilot Plant
Plastronics: an emerging technology combining electronics and plastics to create products with high-added value, and advanced functions or features.
Eurecat’s commitment to functional printing has led it to set up a plastronics pilot plant, the only one of its kind in southern Europe, to enable companies to test proof-of-concepts incorporating printed and hybrid electronics on plastic surfaces for a range of applications.
The plant consists of two clean rooms that allow for seamless combination of two manufacturing processes: one for printing and electronics and the other for plastics processes.
Services
Scientific and technological assessment
Analysing and identifying opportunities for product enhancement by incorporating printed, flexible or hybrid electronics.
State-of-the-art and technical advice.
Technical feasibility studies.
In-house laboratory analysis study for characterising the physical and chemical parameters of inks and substrate.
Development and innovation
Developing proofs-of-concept and demonstrators.
Prototyping.
Pre-series and industrial scaling.
Support and guidance in the production process.
Implementing public and private projects.
Specialised training.
Key projects
Optogenerapy
Developing optogenetic cell therapy implants using printed electronics with biocompatible materials.
Smartees
Technology acceleration hub to help companies and start-ups adopt and embed flexible, wearable electronics into their products and services.
Carbodin
Embedding low-voltage circuitry into composite panels to manufacture lighter and more efficient railway materials and train body shells.
Madras
Developing new materials and manufacturing processes for high-volume production of organic and large area electronic (OLAE) devices.
Smartees
Open Call for flexible and wearable electronic solutions
The SmartEEs technology acceleration hub is kicking off a series of Open Calls to support businesses and start-ups in a range of industries in digitalising their businesses and make it easier for them to access new markets by embedding flexible and wearable electronics (FWE) technologies. Eurecat is a member of this innovation hub’s consortium together with 13 other technology centres across the European Union.
Forthcoming calls:
- 7 May 2021
- 31 August 2021
Representative Sectors
Team Functional Printing and embedded systems
Paul Lacharmoise
Director of the Functional Printing & Embedded Devices Unit at Eurecat
Paul Lacharmoise holds a PhD in Physics from the Institute of Material Science of Barcelona, where he conducted research into organic semi-conductors in single-molecule spectroscopy and the near-field photoluminescence of organic nanocrystals. He later decided to dedicate his work to applied research in the field of printed electronics, especially organic photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices.
He has co-authored 20 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals and participated in various printed electronics research projects on a national and European scale.
News
Covid-19 ramps up demand for touchless products and systems
Covid-19 will foster a new mobility which will drive the implementation of emerging technologies such as touchless push-buttons. The Eurecat technology centre believes these solutions will be in high demand in areas such as public transport, leisure facilities, lifts and workspaces in response to the new patterns of behaviour brought [...]
New medical platform to diagnose problems in chronic patients
The ERKSens project promoted by Renalyse, a Rovira i Virgili University (URV) spinoff, together with the Eurecat technology centre and the URV has received €1.3 million from the RETOS programme to bring a device for diagnosing and monitoring haemoglobin and potassium to the market in four years. The funding is [...]
Hartmann Group and Eurecat to develop smart dressings to detect and monitor injury infection
The Hartmann Group and the Eurecat technology centre have devised a new smart dressing using bio-inks which enable colorimetric detection of bacterial infections. The project is called K-BacTrack and has been funded by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) as part of its R&D Projects work strand. “The idea is to enhance [...]
