Conductive paints

"Electrically conductive inks" are functional inks that conduct electricity after printing. The transition of the paint from a liquid state to a solid state may include drying, heating or melting.

These inks can be classified as solid colorful systems for printing by the InkJet method or as thick polymer systems by which electronic circuits are applied or printed on various types of materials, such as polyester or paper. These types of paints usually contain electrically conductive materials, for example, powder or flocculent silver, carbon-containing, as well as polymer-containing materials. Due to the high conductivity of metals, inks based on them are widely used in printed electronics. Their agglomeration ability is a very important factor. ^[one]

Conductive Ink Sensor

Electrically conductive inks in most cases are a more economical way of making electronic circuits compared to traditional technologies, namely, engraving copper from copper-containing substrates, because printing is a waste-free or almost waste-free process that does not require further processing and disposal.

Silver-based inks are widely used in the printing of RFID antennas, which are used in modern travel tickets, can also be used to improvise or repair printed electronic circuits. Computer keyboards consist of membranes with printed circuits that respond when buttons are pressed. Heaters for windshields, consisting of resistive lines, are also printed using electrically conductive inks. Most rear windows in modern cars use printed conductive circuits that serve as antennas for radio transmission.

Flexographic printing machine

Paper and plastic used as substrates for printing have important characteristics, namely high resistance and elasticity, which, in turn, affect the conductivity of printed components, causing problems associated with the reliability of the devices. Accordingly, these materials are used in a limited number of applications where elasticity is important, and there are no parts attached to the sheet.