Masterclass Sessions

 

Designed for those who are new to this disruptive technology or who need to understand the big picture to assess the challenges and opportunities, this masterclass will arm you with the latest knowledge of the applications and technology developments involving printed electronics. The class will cover:

Analysts will cover how each of the following technology options work; the advantages and disadvantages of each; 10 year forecasts; case studies; suppliers; costs; technical and market challenges and opportunities:

 

Displays (OLEDs, electrophoretic, electroluminescent, electrochromic)

OLED lighting

 

 

This masterclass provides you with a full assessment of this complex and rapidly changing technology from analysts that have studied the topic since 2002. Samples of printed electronics components and products will be shown.

 

Wearable technologies has become the new hot topic. Indeed, it is estimated that the total addressable market will grow to $100 billion in the next decade. But while many are targeting healthcare applications, few have actually succeeded. In this context, it is necessary to have a critical look at the market trends, and to assess what it means in terms of growth and profitability.

 

On the technology side, most of the existing products leverage the components that have been developed over the years for the mobile phone industry. However, there are exciting new technologies coming up, from flexible displays to biometric sensors. This session will introduce the new materials and technologies that will enable future wearable devices.

 

Printed electronic industry is largely being driven forward by innovation in materials. In fact, the material end of the value is currently where most of the action and value is. Every large material and chemical company in the world is involved and the business landscape is full of SMEs and start-ups hoping to commercialize their latest innovative materials.

 

The advanced material space is inevitably highly diverse and complex. On the technical side, printable materials must fulfil a variety of roles ranging from conducting to insulting, rigid to stretchable, transparent to light-emitting, screen to inkjet printing, thermal to photo-curing, etc.

 

On the commercial side, printable materials must satisfy the challenging performance and price requirements exacted by devices, applications, and markets that fall under the greater umbrella term of 'printed electronics'. This is a diverse and broad group that includes display and lighting, photovoltaics, transistors and memory, smart packaging, etc

 

The materials business remains the most exciting, dynamic, and innovative part of the printed electronics industry. In this class, we have selected some of the most important and/or promising materials of the printed electronics industry. For each material, we will describe the business context within which it competes, the latest technological progress, the primary application requirements, and the critical technical and business challenges facing the suppliers.

For each material above, we will describe the technological as well as the commercial aspects. More specifically, the following will be assessed:

 

 

 

This session is based on IDTechEx research conducted on advanced functional materials since 1999, in addition to world class academic experts.

 

Energy Harvesting (EH) is the process by which ambient energy is captured and converted into electricity to power small devices, from wireless switches in buildings to sensors in vehicles and industrial equipment, thus eliminating the need for connection to the grid. IDTechEx is forecasting that the EH transducer market for small devices such as wireless sensors will be over $2 billion by 2025. This introductory masterclass will focus on the different energy harvesting options, their construction and combinations, adoption trends and market proliferation. Specifically, the masterclass will cover:

Analysts will cover how different technology options work: materials used and manufacturing processes; advantages and disadvantages; applications; case studies; suppliers; costs; technical and market challenges and opportunities. The main technologies covered will be:

 

 

Applications covered will range from powering wireless sensors and actuators to medical instruments and condition monitoring in industrial automation. In addition, vehicle integrated EH will be covered ( EH shock absorbers, regenerative braking) as well as waste heat recovery in vehicle and industrial applications. Finally, this masterclass will identify and compare important parameters, reveal trends (multi-modal harvesting, ultra-low power electronics, reducing cost and size) and answers questions such as:

 

 

Structural Electronics (SE) is one of the most important technological developments of this century. It forms a key part of the dream, formulated decades ago, of computing disappearing into the fabric of society. Structural electronics involves electronic and/or electrical components and circuits that act as load-bearing, protective structures, replacing dumb structures such as vehicle bodies or conformally placed upon them. It is of huge interest to the aerospace industry which is usually the first adopter, the automotive industry and in civil engineering both with compelling needs but its reach is much broader even than this. Electric cars badly need longer range and more space for the money and, in civil engineering, corrosion of reinforced concrete structures and tighter requirements for all structures, including early warning of problems, are among the market drivers for structural electronics.

 

This introductory masterclass to the topic reviews the applications for structural electronics, now and emerging, assessing what is happening and what is still needed. Progress by key technology type is given including key suppliers and the technology roadmaps. This will cover topics such as smart skin, 3D printed electronics, flexible and printed electronics systems, energy storage (batteries and supercapacitors forming structures), molded electronics, building integrated photovoltaics and textile based electronics. Global trends and the market outlook is provided based on new IDTechEx research on the topic matter.

 

This masterclass will assess the latest progress with this topic, covering functional materials and components suited for use with textiles, fabrics and stretchable electronics. Typical material choices by substrate type will be shared, including discussion of the challenges around washability, wear resistance, contact resistances etc.

 

In addition to these technology details this masterclass will cover application needs for wearable electronics - what end users see as the minimum viable products, and will look at case studies of e-textiles today - covering cost, product functionality and market trends.

 

Key suppliers focussing on this area will be revealed in addition to market forecasts based on the latest IDTechEx research.

The conductive ink and paste business is one of the largest in printed electronics space. This will be a $2.2b in 2015 at the ink/paste level and will grow to 3 billion by 2025. Growth will be unevenly spread with several target markets experiencing rapid growth while others decline. This market however is segmented, consisting of many emerging and mature markets. It consists of touch screens, photovoltaics, automotive, wearables, sensors, logic/memory, smart packaging and in-mold electronics.

The market for transparent conductive layers (glass and film) outside display elements is $1.4b in 2015 at the layer (substrate included) level. This market will grow to $2.4b by 2025.

 

New technologies and numerous companies have been developed to meet the emerging needs but none yet are a run-away success. These new needs are mostly created by the emergence of curved/flexible and/or large-area applications that demand ultra-low sheet resistance values. The emerging solutions include metal mesh, silver nanowires, graphene, carbon nanotubes, PEDOT, etc. ITO is however proving a resilient solution and the incumbent suppliers have moved to protect their positions by slashing prices.

Analysts or industry experts will cover how each of the following technology options work; the advantages and disadvantages of each; case studies; challenges, insights, etc. The technologies and applications to be covered are:

 

 

 

Energy storage technologies are the key stone of the future of sustainable energy systems. Supercapacitors are an emerging energy storage technology with exceptional high power characteristics and longer useful lifetimes than mainstream energy storage technologies such as lithium batteries. The development of this technology has been progressing at a faster rate in the last 10 years. The transport industry is using them in trains, electric buses and cars. Smartphones may have supercapacitors in the near future in order to improve their energy efficiency and so on.

 

This masterclass will give you all the knowledge you need to understand this emerging technology, its market potential and its role in the energy storage space.

 

We will lead you from the basic technical concepts up to the most recent technology developments in the area and to understand applications in different industries.

 

Join us as we dive into this exciting emerging technology.

 

Designed for those who are new to these disruptive technologies, to understand the big picture and to assess the challenges and opportunities, this masterclass will arm you with knowledge of the latest developments in 3D printing applications and technologies. The class will cover:

Analysts will introduce each of the following technologies:

 

 

They will cover in depth the advantages and disadvantages of each, case studies of applications, market leaders, mapping of key parameters, technical challenges and opportunities.

 

This masterclass provides you with a full assessment of this complex and rapidly changing technology.

 

Displays are the largest market segment in organic electronics. The OLED display market is worth more than $15 billion and OLED is now available in many types of products. The next step will be flexible OLED displays that are fabricated on plastic substrates instead of glass. For many panel makers the LCD business has become loss making and so display companies seek differentiation. Quantum dots now enable a new generation of LCD with a larger color gamut and better efficiency. In lighting, the competitive landscape is fundamentally different as OLED technologies face a tough battle against inorganic LEDs.

 

This masterclass will guide you through:

 

 

Designed for those seeking an overview of the entire robotics industry and a map of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, this masterclass will arm you with knowledge of the latest developments in robotics. The class will cover:

 

 

This masterclass provides you with a full assessment of this complex and rapidly changing technology.

IDTechEx projects the graphene market to grow from around $20 million in 2014 to more than $390 million in 2024 at the material level. The market will be fragmented thanks to a multitude of available graphene types, qualities, manufacturing methods and applications. The market is still dominated by research interest but the composition will change as other sectors such as energy storage and composites grow. The application pipeline/funnel is very active and some early product examples have already emerged. The research has moved beyond graphene to other 2D materials that can complement graphene in many different ways. Indeed, we are now at the early stages of a wave of global research around 2D materials.

Carbon nanotubes have been around for much longer than graphene yet they have much in common. The production capacity globally is already in the thousands of tonne scale, the prices have dramatically fallen and early medium-volume application have been established. In particular, CNTs have found success as additives in a variety of sectors such as batteries, car parts, and electro-static dissipation packaging. This masterclasses is designed to give a detailed assessment of graphene and carbon nanotubes. Below is a more detailed blueprint for the masterclass.

 

 

 

Batteries continue to proliferate new wearable electronics, personal medical diagnostics and treatment, and the Internet of Things. 30 billion button batteries poison and choke humans and other animals every year: safer printed batteries remain a small business. Why? 50% of the cost of a pure-electric mainstream car is the battery, but still the range and price are unacceptable and batteries set fire to cars and planes. What to do? Lithium ion is the best battery technology we have ever seen they have achieved increases energy density by 5% per year and decreases cost at 8% per year but cannot achieve transformative factors of five in cost and performance. Post Lithium ion battery technologies are not really new however there are reasons why they have received more attention recently, this is because the promises the next generation of disruptive high energy batteries is progressing.

 

We give basics explaining why lithium batteries cathode, anode and electrolyte are changing, revealing opportunities for fine chemicals and materials through to new applications.

 

In particular, it covers:

 

 

This masterclass assesses the range of printing and non-printing manufacturing and handling options for printed, organic and flexible electronics. Attendees will learn about the technology capabilities, market applicability, key players, trends and opportunities. The class will cover:

The following printing types will be covered:

 

 

For each type, the session will cover:

 

 

This session is partly based on IDTechEx research of over 90 relevant suppliers. Attendees will be shown working demonstrations in addition to handling samples of printed electronics components and products.

 

This masterclass will arm you with the latest knowledge of 3D printing materials - what exists, what is coming and what is needed. Learn what the key players are offering, areas of research and development activity, trends and market sizing. Specifically, the masterclass will cover:

Analysts will appraise each of the following types of materials for 3D printing:

 

 

They will cover the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing with each, key suppliers, costs, performance specifications and limitations, and the impact of new emerging options.

 

This masterclass provides you with a full assessment of this complex and rapidly changing subject. Samples of objects 3D printed from a wide range of materials will be shown.

 

This masterclass addresses the latest progress with hybrid,fuel cell and electric vehicles for land, sea and air. It gives the big picture from the league table of largest EV manufacturers to common factors and components for land, water and air vehicles; and across hybrid and pure electric vehicles.

 

This masterclass covers:

 

 

This masterclass covers the technology and markets enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) in addition to related technologies such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), Active RFID and Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS). The class will discuss in detail where all these technologies are going over the next ten years, reality versus the hype, and the business needs and drivers. It specifically addresses:

 

 

This masterclass will give an overview of sensors and actuators made with printed electronics. Participants will learn about the technology, target markets and value proposition of these devices. Areas where printing adds value will be outlined for each type of sensor (pressure, temperature, optical, touch, electrochemical, etc.). Advantages of flexible sensors, as well as large-area sensors will also be covered and the leading companies in each segment will be presented. For actuators, the main focus will be on new polymers and their applications in haptic feedback, speakers, etc.

 

During the session, IDTechEx will show the latest trends and identify the commercial opportunities. It will include:

 

 

 

Organic devices, in particular OLED and OPV ones, are highly sensitive to moisture, requiring ultra-high performance barrier or encapsulation layers. Glass is an excellent barrier, but is rigid, therefore potentially stripping away organic electronics of a key differentiating attribute, which is flexibility. Developing flexible, transparent and ultra-high performance remains an unmet technology challenge, and in many cases an impediment against the growth of organic and printed electronics. Numerous solutions are however being developed across the world, ranging from ultra-thin flexible glass to multi-layer films. Success here can change the economics of organic and/or printed electronics.

 

Substrates are also an essential and often neglected layer for printed and/or organic electronics. They bring robustness and enable flexibility, but at the same time place substantial constraints on the manufacturing process (e.g., thermal budget, dimensional stability) in a way that they can largely determine device performance. Many plastic solutions are now being offered such as PET and PEN but also paper based substrates are increasingly gaining attention.

 

Analysts will cover how each of the following technology options work; the advantages and disadvantages of each; 10 year forecasts; case studies; suppliers; technical and market challenges and opportunities:

 

 

In the process of electrification of vehicles there is plenty of room for innovation. Petrol car components and systems have evolved during the last 100 years and whilst electric vehicles have been developed for the last 30 years or so, they are still far of being optimized. New materials have been developed recently that are opening new possibilities for new concepts for better performance components. This masterclass explores the evolution of these developments and what could be their impact on future automotive concepts.

 

Electric vehicles will need new components and new materials given that the energy source, drive trains, motors and control systems are completely different to conventional vehicles. This masterclass will explore the opportunities for new materials and components, covering each of the main categories as follows:

 

 

Attendees will learn about the requirement from vehicle makers based on their vehicle development roadmaps, current state of the technology, suppliers, development trends and areas of focus and undersupplied development areas. In addition, ten year forecasts will be provided for some of the key sectors above, allowing you to quantify your opportunity.

 

This masterclass covers:

 

 

This class will look at sensor trends. In particular, the class will focus on the key application areas of IoT and Wearable Technology, where sensors are often the key enabling component adding new value. Whilst the end result can be very varied, the sensing technologies used in each of these sectors have inherent similarities. Therefore, this class brings these topics together around their component-level building blocks, describing the broad opportunity available to players in this field.

 

This masterclass is setup to provide an overview of each of the technologies used today (including describing the supplier landscape). The speakers will detail the challenges when refining their function for each application. Finally, the opportunities for development and growth in this area will be outlined, using some examples of current research-level projects.

 

In 2015 more than 8 billion RFID tags will be sold, up from just under 7 billion tags in 2014. Tag cost is reducing with volume but also with new innovations such as antenna manufacture and chip placement. This session provides the complete picture of the RFID industry, including NFC to UHF RFID. Additionally, smart packaging is also explored, including why, who, what, how and when with case studies presented and technology roadmaps given. The RFID market and use and potential use of printed electronics for smart packaging is explored in great depth in this session. The masterclass will cover:

 

This session is based on research conducted by IDTechEx on the RFID and smart packaging markets since 1999. It will provide an exceptionally comprehensive assessment of the RFID sector and the opportunities for printed electronics within it.

This masterclass will focus on the advances for augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality technologies, as they pertain to headsets and smartglasses, a new range of products that saw mass launches in 2016, based on technology that has been in development for decades in some cases. In the masterclass, presenters will focus on: