Nano Dimension/ YouTube
PHYTEC Nano Dimension
The PHYTEC facility working to develop PCBs.
In November 2016, Nano Dimension Technologies delivered a beta DragonFly 2020 to its third customer: PHYTEC, a German microprocessor solutions provider.
The deal came about as PHYTEC tackled an increasing demand for prototypes from its customer base. PHYTEC needed a solution which could reduce development time, while maintaining the quality of its products and service. It decided to take on Nano Dimension’s flagship 3D printing technology, and today is publishing the results.
PHYTEC has always produced the design for its printed circuit boards (PCBs) in-house. Aware of the growth of 3D printing technology, PHYTEC had to wait patiently for a machine capable of doing what the DragonFly 2020 is.
Lead times start at eight working days for PCBs of medium complexity at a cost of €170, but can easily rise to 50 days and €500 as the design becomes more intricate. With the DragonFly days become hours – PHYTEC has been able to produce PCBs within 12-18 hours, depending on size and complexity, ten to 15 times faster that ordering PCBs the traditional way.
“The DragonFly 2020 is the first [3D] printer which is designed to provide a suitable accuracy and precision for the use in state-of-the-art electronics and PCB design,” said Bodo Huber, Chief Technology Officer, Phytec. “On-site printing of PCBs can easily save multiple days in waiting for PCBs. It allows you to get earlier access to functional prototypes, you can do your design validation much earlier. The most important benefit is a dramatic reduction of development cycle time.”
Having access to the PCB in one day, makes it much easier for the company to assess the design, and amend it if necessary. Thus, with the ability to iterate and improve, the quality of the hardware design is more assured. And with lead time seeing a reduction as well, the DragonFly 2020 has proved its worth for PHYTEC. Expecting the technology to progress further, Huber projects a growth in adoption.
“Rapid PCB prototyping and 3D PCB printing is a key technology in enabling modern methodologies for hardware design,” he said. “[I] can also envision the use of printed electronics in small volume series production once the technology has improved over time.”
