HENSOLDT ALM project manager Andreas Salomon (left) and Nano Dimension's Director Sales EMEA Valentin Storz with the first PCB samples additively manufactured on the DragonFly LDM.
3D printed electronics company, Nano Dimension, has introduced its new DragonFly Lights-Out Digital Manufacturing (LDM) printing technology designed for round-the-clock 3D printing of electronic circuitry.
The system builds on the company’s DragonFly Pro system which was launched back in 2017 to allow engineers and designers to quickly prototype multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs), antennas, capacitors and sensors. The LDM is said to extend those capabilities beyond prototyping to deliver in-house, 24/7 manufacturing for short-run, low-volume manufacturing.
“The DragonFly LDM is designed to help our customers prepare for Industry 4.0. and stay competitive in a world that demands electronic devices with increasingly sophisticated features. Like its predecessor, the DragonFly Pro, it's the first of its kind on the market, carefully designed for both ease-of-use and even more agile, faster and affordable 3D printing of functional circuitry,” said Amit Dror, CEO and co-founder of Nano Dimension. “We’re confident that the LDM system will provide best in class additive manufacturing of printed electronics on the market, making it possible for companies to be more innovative, improve productivity and reliability, lower costs and reduce time-to-market.”
DragonFly LDM to enable 24/7 manufacturing for short-run, low-volume manufacturing of 3D printed electronics.
The system has been equipped with a number of new features which optimise its Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and improve workflow. New printer head software management algorithms enable automatic self-cleaning of the print heads every few hours while real-time automatic material monitoring capabilities minimise the amount of scheduled downtime to just one weekly maintenance operation.
The initial deployment of the DragonFly LDM took place at Munich-based sensor and defense electronics provider Hensoldt where the system is believed to already be making significant reductions in time and cost for circuit production. Initial test prints showed that the LDM improves print time by around 40% compared to its predecessor.
Andreas Salomon, project leader for 3D printed electronics at HENSOLDT, commented: “The DragonFly LDM is a necessary evolutionary setup up from the DragonFly Pro, enabling low-volume manufacturing of electronic circuits fast and easy to do in-house, with minimal operator time. It will be a great addition for Hensoldt, enabling us to develop innovative applications faster and with far better machine availability and lower maintenance than ever before.”
