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P-Flex® Flexible Circuits mounted with a QFP
Held in Shinya Shimizu’s hand is a sample of a P-Flex® Flexible Circuits mounted with a QFP. This mounted sample circuit board (polyimide substrate) is formed in a pattern that allows the mounting of a 0.5mm Pitch QFP, enabling connections to FPC Connectors and making it suitable for use in a flexible variety of use cases. Equipped with a 32-bit microcontroller (48 pin TQFP), the circuit board is designed to control USB signal information and charge status by illuminating LEDs. To ensure h […]
Our vision for the future of AM (Additive Manufacturing)
AM (Additive Manufacturing) uses inkjet and other printing technologies to selectively stack materials onto desired areas.While 3D printing technologies lead the way in spreading the usage of AM,our aim is to expand AM through inkjet printing where there are advantages in terms of digital compatibility and modeling freedom. Advantages of using AM in the manufacturing of theFlexible PCB P-Flex🄬 Low environmental impact Elephantech’s PCB manufacturing method (Pure Additive™ method) involves […]
Biosensor：Launch of the Additive Manufacturing Center (3)
Hello there! I ended my previous post by commenting on how I was going to look into what everyone had to say on the utility of inkjet in making biosensors. But before I get into that, I thought I’d share a little fun story about something that happened to me recently. The enzyme behind the blood sugar sensor So, I was doing some research on what biosensors are actually used for and, although there are all sorts of biosensors, it became apparent that the most familiar or the most commonly u […]
[Inkjet Lab Vol.2] Printing and analyzing liquids you can find at home!
Hello everyone, this is Mai! My work involves using the EPSON inkjet machine for R&D to conduct experiments and ink evaluations. When hearing the word “inkjet machine”, you might imagine a machine that requires specialized ink cartridges for printing. That isn’t the case for this inkjet machine for R&D as it can print with even standard ink just as long as it complies with certain conditions such as viscosity.This means that we can even use liquid household items such a […]
[Inkjet Lab Vol.1] Let’s Make an Origami Crane Fly by Itself!
Hi there! This is Tanaka, in charge of the Inkjet Lab where we will be making things using EPSON’s inkjet machine for R&D. Belonging to the Crafts Department of Tokyo University of the Arts, metal is usually at the core of what I make, be it banging out copper plates or mixing alloys for jewelry. The working environment I was in really had nothing to do with inkjet printers, but the more I learned about the functions and possibilities of the EPSON inkjet machine for R&D, the more I […]
Launch of the Additive Manufacturing Center (2)
Hi, this is Masa from Elephantech. I’d like to follow up on my last article in which I touched upon how we regularly read all sorts of research papers and how we’ve come to realize that there is one key word that keeps popping up in the research conducted by searchers who continue to hack home printers to take on various challenges (we really resonate with your work!) That key word is biosensors. Looking at various research papers on biosensors, we quickly realized that many of them […]
【Ink Discharge Evaluation Service blog : 3】Introducing the Personnel Behind Elephantech’s Inkjet Technology
This is Saito, in charge of all inkjet technologies at Elephantech’s Additive Manufacturing Center (“AMC”). Inkjet Engineer (saito) I feel fortunate to have joined Elephantech since April 1 of this year. I count DIY as one of my hobbies and, believing that with the right tools I can make anything I want that is man-made, I have so far made shelves, shoe storage boxes, bicycle sheds and the like for my home. It’s that way of thinking that made me feel enthusiastic about t […]
Launch of the Additive Manufacturing Center (1)
Hi, this is Masa from Elephantech. We established the Additive Manufacturing Center (“AMC”) in April of 2020 and, having in June welcomed Mr Kawamoto on loan from Mitsui Chemicals as the center’s director, we’re all set to start operations. Among our existing services is the Ink Discharge Evaluation Service. Mr Saito, who is in charge of this particular service, joined us following a visit to our company on a tour organized by the Imaging Society of Japan. As for the AMC, […]
【Ink Discharge Evaluation Service blog : 2】Video presentation of Epson’s inkjet machine for R&D purposes.
Here is an overview of Epson’s inkjet machine for R&D purposes used for our Ink Discharge Evaluation Service. Epson’s inkjet machine for R&D purposes is equipped with an ink droplet flight path observation function and a printing function. The flight path observation function controls the camera and light source at high speed to capture images of the ink droplets in real-time as they are ejected from the printhead. Epson’s inkjet machine for R&D purposes is also compatible with more […]
【Ink Discharge Evaluation Service blog : 1】Inkjet characteristics and evaluation
Elephantech is advancing the mass-production of P-Flex®, the company’s Flexible Circuits, by using inkjet printing in its manufacturing process. Inkjet printing eliminates unnecessary printing and is environmentally friendly, digital-ready and boasts a high degree of design flexibility. As such, inkjet printing is highly compatible with additive manufacturing methods and its implementation is underway in a broad range of fields. Inkjet printing technology allows for contact-less drawing by […]
The future of electronics：Shifting from "dissolving unnecessary parts" to "printing onto necessary parts"
About Elephantech’s manufacturing method （Pure Additive™️ method） Taking the example of printed circuit boards, the conventional manufacturing method was an extremely long process in which copper foil is manufactured, laminated with film (production of CCL), and laminated with photosensitive materials before the desired copper pattern is achieved by dissolving and discarding the copper foil from unnecessary parts by exposure, development and etching. Our process achieves the desired copper […]
NHK WORLD-JAPAN News Broadcast（Summary）
・Many tech companies have a bad reputation for sustainability due to the short lifespans of their products and a lack of recycling. ・But there’s a lesser-known contributor to environmental waste in the industry — the printed circuit board that’s at the core of our electronics gadgets. Making it produces a vast amount of toxic material that needs to be processed. ・We visit a Tokyo startup that’s helping to tackle the problem. It has developed a more eco-friendly way to man […]
NHK WORLD-JAPAN News Broadcast
The contents of an interview the NHK International Broadcasting Station had with us has been broadcast in English on the NHK WORLD-JAPAN News. We have transcribed the contents recently broadcast on NHK WORLD-JAPAN News. The program is no longer available on on-demand TV but the contents can be read in this text. Elephantech-NHKworld (MC) Up next we have global trends. Printed circuit boards are inside all the electronic gadgets we love and use every day. Unfortunately there is a downside, produc […]
Focus NEDO No.73 Special Edition NEDO Startup Future
On “Focus NEDO No.73 Special Edition NEDO Startup Future” published by NEDO*, our company was featured as a startup company that manufatures and sells P-Flex🄬, a single sided flexible PCB manufactured with the use of inkjet printing and copper plating. *NEDO: National Research and Development Agency New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
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