10/21/2022 - 2022

Looking back at the 2022 MID Summit & MID Workshop

A joint event by Hahn-Schickard and 3-D MID e.V.

Hahn-Schickard and the Research Association 3-D MID e.V. combined this year's events " MID Summit" and "MID Workshop" as a joint industry meeting on September 21 and 22 in Böblingen. The nearly 100 participants experienced two intensive days around the topic of MID (Molded Interconnect Devices) with 13 expert presentations from industry and research on MID applications, new materials and technologies as well as additive manufacturing processes.

The event was opened jointly by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Franke, Chairman of 3-D MID e. V. and Prof. André Zimmermann, Institute Director at Hahn-Schickard in Stuttgart. The welcoming speech for the event was held by Mr. Claus Mayer, Head of Department at the Ministry of Economics, Labor and Tourism of the State of Baden-Württemberg.

In the first lecture session on "Applications", it became clear how diverse the possible applications of MID technologies have become. Several speakers from a wide range of industries were able to demonstrate this impressively. Among other things, Mr. Hess (Harting) presented the advantages of a standardized MID carrier for electronic components. New possibilities for the realization of MID-based sensor components were demonstrated by Mr. Bengsch (Ensinger). He explained how laser direct structuring in combination with PVD technology on microstructured plastic wafers allows the production of different low-cost sensor components. MID technology also enables completely new applications in the field of high-frequency technology. In this regard, Mr. Hesselbarth (University of Stuttgart, Institute for High Frequency Technology) demonstrated the potential of selectively metallized 3D plastic parts for millimeter-wave components. Finally, in the first session, new possibilities for 3D design of circuits and conductive patterns were presented by Mr. Röck (Altium).

In the following session, "New Materials and Technogies," the first paper by Mr. Ninz (University of Stuttgart, Institute for Manufacturing Technology of Ceramic Components) presented how conductive traces can be produced on injection-molded 3D ceramic components using laser-induced metallization. Many years of research at the University of Stuttgart and Hahn-Schickard have paid off, so that an industrially suitable process is now available for ceramic 3D circuit carriers. The use of printed functional materials to measure strain was highlighted in the paper by Mr. Häußler (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems). Printing technologies were also a central topic in the presentation by Mr. Sridhar (TNO Holst Centre). Among other things, the possibilities of LIFT (Laser Induced Forward Transfer) for chip packaging were impressively presented. Finally, Mr. Jäger (Hahn-Schickard) presented investigations on the build-up of SMD components on inkjet-printed tracks. Among other things, the influence of assembly and interconnection technology and substrate material on the reliability of the connections was investigated.

Afterwards, the participants had the opportunity for an institute tour at Hahn-Schickard in Stuttgart with a focus on digital process chains for individualized microsystems.

The second day began with a presentation by Mr. Thamm (Salcon International) on the possibilities of foil-based technologies for surface functionalization. In the following session "Additive Manufacturing Processes" the potential of additive manufacturing for MID was shown. In his presentation, Mr. Peetz (IMS Connector Systems) used the example of a smart connector to show how an MID prototype with integrated sensor technology was developed together with Hahn-Schickard. Rapid prototyping of MID by means of stereolithography was addressed in the presentation by Mr. Mohrmann (Contag). He demonstrated the potential of modified resins for the construction of 3D circuit carriers. Using the example of a functionalized earmold, Mr. Richter (Audifon) showed how aerosol jet technology can be used to create conductive traces on additively manufactured components. He presented results from the BMBF-funded MikroBo research project, which aimed to build a pressure sensor on an earmold for non-invasive blood pressure measurement in the ear. Finally, Mr. van der Spuij (Henkel) showed in his presentation the possibilities offered by pad printing of metal inks, for example for the production of antennas.

After the presentations, participants had the opportunity to work in small groups in the "MID and Beyond" workshops sessions on the topics of New Research Aspects, Printed Hybrid Electronics, Sustainability and Market Analysis.

During the event, the participants were able to obtain extensive information about current research projects in poster sessions and visit a trade exhibition with 15 exhibitors, including 2E mechatronic GmbH & Co. KG, 3-D MID e.V., CENTER FOR PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY (FTMC), Ensinger GmbH , Fraunhofer IEM, Hahn-Schickard, Henkel, IFKB – University of Stuttgart, IMS Connector Systems Group, knoware, Micro-Epsilon, Neotech AMT GmbH, Powerlyze, SENIN TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION and Sunway Communication.