Additive Manufacturing in Electronics – Filament Overview and Special Focus on Carbon Black Filament Properties Investigation

Inhalt:
Advantages of 3D printing have led to its use in most diverse industries plus the low budget segment in printed electronics. Printing of FDM-printed PCBs with a low budget printer is possible e.g., a connection for small low power sensor and visualisation applications. Already the filaments research for additive manufacturing shows, that the FDM-printed PCB conductivity must be significantly lower compared to copper use. The investigation of FDM-printed PCBs versus conventional PCBs regarding their current-carrying capacity and thermal properties confirm comparable results. The conductive filament can only safely conduct currents in the single-digit mA range at wider cross-sections. Upon higher current application, it exhibits hot conductor properties and a permanently lower conductor resistance. The results reveal new uses, and these provide the opportunity for further investigations.