FluidANT printingFluidANT printing Design guidelines 2015.09.24 ... • Makrolon® 2805 Polycarbonate, black • Makrolon® 2405 Polycarbonate, clear • INFINO® CF-1051, PC, ...fluidant.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/FluidANT_printing_design... ·

FluidANT printing

Design guidelines

2015.09.24

Version 14

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| All Rights Reserved | 2015

Version 14 FluidANT is trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Vocabulary and abbreviations

Term Definition

Ink Material used to print the pattern

Pattern The printed conductor composed of printed areas and printed lines

Printed area The area of the part designed to be filled with printed lines

Printed line The line printed with one printhead draw or move

Printing angle The angle of the printhead towards the substrate surface

Substrate Base material to be printed on, for example plastic, metal, glass, etc.

Via hole Conductive hole through the part

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Contents

• Introduction

• Pattern design

• Maximum part size for printing

• Printing tool orientation

• Tolerances for printed line

• Location of printed lines on substrate

• Edge design of the printed areas

• Printed via hole design

• Via Hole; FluidANT vs LDS

• Contact methods for printed antennas

• Line width

• Line thickness

• Approved materials - updates in version 14

• Approval process for ink materials

• Environmental tests

• Tips/Lessons learnt

– Pattern design examples

– Substrate surface finish

• FluidANT printed multilayer structures – new in version 14

• Soldering on FluidANT printed pattern – new in version 14

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Introduction on printing technology

• Printing technology is based on conductive ink which is directly

printed on the substrate surface and then dried in the oven.

• The major advantage of the printing method is that any surface

topography is possible as long as the surface is reachable from

some projection angle and nothing blocks the printing.

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Pattern design

Efficient pattern design is the best way to reduce the cycle time of

printed parts.

Optimize the cycle time by:

• Minimizing the number of printing positions

• Using the min. line width

• Minimizing the size of the printed area:

– Avoid large and solid printed areas

– Use straight line structures with uniform line widths

• Designing single line patterns

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Maximum part size for printing

• The possibility to print on parts exceeding these dimensions needs

to be evaluated with manufacturing engineers.

L: 230 mm * W: 100 mm * H: 100 mm

or

L: 300 mm * W: 60 mm * H: 60 mm

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Printing tool orientation

• As a rule of thumb the substrate surface should be reached with

max. 1 mm offset using a cone tool so that the printing angle is at a

minimum of 45 degrees.

Dimensions of printing tool

against the printable surface

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Tolerances for printed lines

• Tolerance inside the printed line: ±0.10 mm

– from printed line to printed line

• Tolerance from the substrate’s edge: ±0.15 mm

– from part to printed line

Example tolerances for printed lines

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Location of printed lines on substrate

• Printed lines should not be printed directly against walls.

• Wall height: </= 3.00 mm distance from walls: min 0.50 mm

• Wall height >3.00 mm possibility of printing needs to be evaluated

with manufacturing engineers.

• From the edges, holes and the end of the radius the minimum

distance is 0.25 mm.

Distance of the printed

line to vertical/angled

walls and edge

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Edge design on printed areas

• The recommended radius in substrate is 0,6 mm where the printed

line goes over the edge.

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Printed via hole design

Printed via hole diameter Min 0.40 mm

Cone angle Min 60°

Wall thicknessLarger wall thickness causes too big a hole: produces excess material locallymay break the printed line when drying

0.70 – 1.00 mm

Recommended to print min 0,4 mm fillet around the cone

Substrate

Examples of via hole split line

hole

Recommended to print min

0,4 mm fillet around the cone

hole

cone

fillet

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Via Hole; FluidANT vs LDS

FluidANT

LDS

Hourglass shape is preferred in FluidANT due to printing quality.

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Contact methods for printed antennas

• Normal contact methods applicable

• C-clip connection:

– Printed contact area with c-clips in customer PWB is the easiest way to

connect antenna and PWB Only the flat surface for the c-clip contact

point needed

– No special requirements for antenna connections: similar to the design

of FPWB antennas

C-clip in customer PWB C-clips in antenna

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Line width

It is recommended to use typical line widths as defined below:

• Minimum line width: 0.40 mm

– This is done by printing one line

• 2nd line width: 0.65 mm

– This is done by printing two lines

• 3rd line width: 0.90 mm

– This is done by printing three lines

• Minimum gap between lines: 0.40 mm

• Minimum curvature radius of line: 0.20 mm

– For example, if the inner radius of printed line is R0.2 mm, the outer radius

is R0.2 mm + line width (see figure above)

The above mentioned line widths are valid for polycarbonate. Substrate material

and surface quality have an effect on the printed line width, for other materials it is

recommended to verify the line width before design freeze.

Example dimensions of a printed line

with uniform line widths

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Line thickness

• The typical thickness of a printed line is 30-40µm.

• It is possible to print up to 80µm thickness.

0,004075

0,012166

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Approved materials

*) Surface roughness of substrate

materials may have an effect on

printing line dimensions, and

adjustment in printing parameters

may therefore be needed.

**) The minimum heat

resistance for substrate

must be 110°C.

Type Ink materialcode

Resinmaterial supplier

Substrate*, **

Silver ink

PI0225S-ASabic

Bayer

Samsung SDI

PC, Polycarbonate• Lexan™ 141R Polycarbonate, black• Thermocomp™ DX10311 compound,

Polycarbonate, 30 % GF, black• Lexan™ EXL 1132T Resin, Polycarbonate siloxane

modified, black• Lexan 3412 ECR Resin, Polycarbonate, 20% GF,

black• Lexan™ 3412 ECR Resin, Polycarbonate, 20% GF,

OR7G005, orange• Lexan™ EXL 1414T, black, bright blue• Lexan™ BY 2710x, black, modified PC• Xenoy 1731, black, PBT+PC• Makrolon® 2805 Polycarbonate, black• Makrolon® 2405 Polycarbonate, clear• INFINO® CF-1051, PC, black• INFINO® IH-1047, PC, black• INFINO® IH-1041, PC, black• INFINO® GI-3303 LW, (PC/GF30%), black• INFINO® CF-3300 LW, (PC/GF30%), black

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Approved materials



Substrate*, **

Silver ink

PI0225S-ADuPont

EMS

SabicSolvay

PA, Polyamide ***)• Zytel® RS HTN59G55LWSF BK083 Polyamide, 55%

GF• Zytel® RS HTN55G55LWSF BK752

A,Polyamide,55% GF• Zytel® RS HTN53G50LWSF BK083, Polyamide, 50%

GF• Grivory® GVX-5H, black 9915 50% GF PA66 +

PA6I/X• Grivory® HT XE 4134, black 9225 30% GF PA10T/X• Grilamid® TRVX-50X9, black• Thermocomp™ PA 9X10312- 701 black, 50 % GF• Kalix®2955, 27% bio-sourced, PA6,10, (55% GF)

***) PA, polyamide grades batch

to batch molding parameters must

be managed

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Approved materials



Substrate*, **

Silver ink

PI0225S-A Sabic

Toray

Ticona

Samsung SDI

ABS/PC• Cycoloy C1200HF, black****)

PPS, Polyphenylene sulfide• Toray A305M45, black, Polyphenylene

sulfide,45% GF

Liquid chrystal polymer, LCP• Vectra LCP E130i

PBT, Polybutylene terephthalate• INFINO® MA-5400 , (PBT/40% GF), light grey

****) Ink drying temperature

must be checked case by case

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Approved materials



Substrate*, **

Silver ink

PI0538S-ASabic

PC, Polycarbonate• Lexan™ 141R Polycarbonate, black

Silver ink

PI0101S-A DuPontPA, Polyamide ***)• Zytel® RS HTN59G55LWSF BK083 Polyamide, 55%

GF

***) PA, polyamide grades batch

to batch molding parameters must

be managed


Inkmaterial supplier

Substrate*, **

Dielectric DSU-4601B

Sun Chemical PC, Polycarbonate• Sabic Lexan™ 141R Polycarbonate, black

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Approval process for ink materials

• Ink materials are tested and verified by FluidANT team.

• The following things are verified in the approval process:

o Conductivity

o Sheet Resistivity, mOhms/sq/mil <15

o Adhesion (tape test of cross cut printed line)

o Visual appearance

o Abrasion test

o Substrate dissolvability test

o Environmental Tests (see next slide)

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Environmental tests

Test number

Parameter Reference Requirement

1 Change of temperature

IEC 60068 2 h at +85°C2h at -40°CChange time 2 h between temperatures

5 cycles.

2 Damp heat cyclic

IEC 60068 93% RH 4 h at + 65°C , 93% RH 1h at +25°C Change time 1,5 h between cycles.

8 cycles.

3 Salt mist IEC 60068 1) 5% NaCl, expose 2 h at +35°C, then 2) 95 % RH 168 h at +40°C (1 week)

2 cycles. Total 2 weeks.

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How to design a good Antenna with Fluid

Few tips / lessons learnt for good performing antenna design with Fluid:

See next pages on tips that affect

RF performance

Capacity

Cost

Ink amount

Visual Quality

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Pattern design examples

* Large solid area * Minimized solid area

Single line design

Minimizing the large solid area

Better

BestRF performance

Capacity

Cost

Ink amount

Visual Quality

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When hatching the large solid pattern areas -> where pattern lines are

crossing no radius to the corners.

Hatched pattern area with sharp

corners.

RF performance

Capacity

Cost

Ink amount

Visual Quality

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• Capability to print thicker lines can be used to improve RF

performance by printing higher thickness (50-60 µm) on contact

areas and on the short (six to ten mm) distance of lines from them.

From feed / ground approx 6-10mm use thicker line

RF performance

Capacity

Cost

Ink amount

Visual Quality

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Substrate surface finish

• Printing surfaces should have as smooth surface texture as

possible, polishing according to SPI-B2, or better.

• Printed line interfaces follow the surface roughness of the substrate.

This affects accuracy, quality and resistivity of the printed line.

Polished surface (SPI-B2) VDI 18 VDI 21

Substrate (Polished) Substrate (VDI21)

Resistivity

increasesSubstrate (Polished)

RF performance

Capacity

Cost

Ink amount

Visual Quality

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FluidANT printed multilayer structures

Materials

• Silver inkApproved high performance micron particle size silver polymer ink (like PI0225S-A)

• DielectricApproved UV cured dielectric forming an insulating layer or cross over on top of silver

• Substrate materialsApproved substrate material ensuring good adhesion with both silver ink and dielectric.

Note: Printed ink, dielectric and substrate materials are always a combination which compatibility should be ensured either by selecting already tested and approved material combination or by verifying the desired material combination’s compatibility.

Printing of multilayers

• PretreatmentBefore printing the substrate surface should be plasma treated and treatment is recommended prior printing each following layer.

• Process orderPrevious printed layer (silver / dielectric) should be dried properly before printing the following layer.

• Silver printingTypical silver ink printing parameters can be used in multilayer applications.

• Dielectric printingUV sensitive dielectric material should be protected from the light in storage and in printing process the syringe should be covered with black tape.

Diluting (max. 2w-%) of the dielectric is recommended with appropriate monomer to improve printability and print result.

UV drying time depends on printed layer thickness and used lamps, it is recommended to follow the material supplier’s instructions.

Printed pattern with dielectric:

• Single line: width 400 +/-50 μm and thickness 40-60 μm

• Two lines: width ~600 +/-50 μm and thickness 40-60 μm

• Three lines: width ~850 +/-50 μm and thickness 40-60 μm

Note: The substrate material and surface quality have effect on the actual printed line dimensions.

Quality of multilayersAdhesion of the printed layers meet the cross cut tape test (ASTM D- 3359-02).Applications have passed the change of temperature, salt mist and thermal shock environmental tests.

Note: When printing dielectric on top of silver or wise versa, the line width on printed surface may be slightly narrower than what it is on substrate surface because of surface energy differences between the materials.

This should be taken into account in print designing if seen needed.

Note: Application specific environmental tests should be renewed for each design.

Ink Dielectric

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Soldering on FluidANT printed pattern

Materials

* Silver inkApproved high performance micron particle size silver polymer ink (like PI0225S-A)

Recommended dried ink thickness is 50-60 microns in soldering pads.

* Substrate materialsHigh temperature resistant substrates (LCP, PPS)

Low temperature resistant substrates (PC)

* Solder pastesLead free no-clean, high temperature solder paste(Sn96.5Ag3Cu0.5 alloys)

Lead free no-clean, low temperature solder paste (42Sn57Bi1Ag alloys)

Also glass and coated metals work as substrate for soldering applications, but may need protective layer depending on environmental test requirements.

Soldering methods

• Reflow soldering Typical reflow profile for high temperature solder paste and high temperature substrate materials.

Typical reflow profile for low temperature solder paste and low temperature substrate materials.

• Local hot air soldering Hot air can be used especially with low temperature substrate materials. Heat is focused only on soldering point and heating profile is short.

NOTE: Soldering profiles should be optimized for each solder paste and application.

Solder joint quality in FluidAntSolder wetting angle on printed silver is higher than when soldering on gold plated PWB surface. Still solder wetting properties are appropriate also on printed silver ink and solder resist is not necessarily needed for printed ink pad as solder doesn’t spread.

Solder joints are mechanically good in both high temperature and in low temperature soldering. Over 7 N peeling off forces were measured in SMT component solder joints depending on the component type and substrate material. Typically failure mode has been cracking between ink and substrate.

NOTE: Solder pad design and solder paste dot size must be optimized to reach good soldering performance. Although as high as possible ink drying temperature is recommended to improve the conductivity, the drying temperature should not exceed 130C in applications where components will be soldered on the dried ink. Higher ink drying temperature weakens solder paste wetting on the dried ink surface.

•Done soldering applications with Fluidant - SMT component soldering

- Cable soldering

Applications have passed change of temperature, salt mist and thermal shock environmental tests.

NOTE: Application specific environmental tests should be renewed for each design.

Printed silver ink

Cable Plastic frame

Solder Paste

Documents

FluidANT printingFluidANT printing Design guidelines 2015.09.24 ... • Makrolon® 2805 Polycarbonate, black • Makrolon® 2405 Polycarbonate, clear • INFINO® CF-1051, PC, ...fluidant.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/FluidANT_printing_design... ·