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:

 

 

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.

 

The printed electronics 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 displays 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.

 

Structural electronics (SE) is one of the most important technological developments of this century. The topic involves electronic and/or electrical components and circuits that act as load-bearing or protective structures. This can take the form of completely replacing "dumb" structures or having the electronics conformally placed upon them.

 

There are numerous advantages and routes to this multifunctionality with both favourable economic and legislative drivers, the most notable of these being lightweighting demands within the transportation sector. This introductory masterclass to the topic reviews the applications and underlying technology for structural electronics, assessing what is happening and what is still needed. Progress by key technology type is given including key suppliers and technology roadmaps.

 

Global trends and the market outlook is provided based on new IDTechEx research on the topic matter.

 

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.

 

 

 

This masterclass explores emerging trends in photonics and focuses on the topics outlined in the technology appraisal below. IDTechEx has designed this session for two types of participants. End-users will gain an understanding of the benefits, opportunities and challenges in adopting new photonic technologies. Suppliers of optical components and related materials will learn about technology trends that create new opportunities for business expansion.

 

• Advances in laser manufacturing of electric vehicles and electronics

• Advances in optical sensors; includes applications in LiDAR and structural health monitoring

• Advances in machine vision

• Industry case studies

 

• Market size and segmentation

• Business landscape analysis

• Current and future market opportunities

• Market forecasts for 2018-2028 based on new IDTechEx research

 

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:

Technology Appraisal Analysts will cover each of the following technology options; the advantages and disadvantages of each; case studies; applications; suppliers and manufacturers; costs; technical challenges and opportunities:

 

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

 

 

This masterclass provides you with a full assessment of this complex and rapidly changing technology. Samples of objects made using a range of 3D printing technologies will be shown.

Graphene is billed as the wonder material of our time. It has received tremendous media attention and is the recipient of large sums of research and commercialization funds. Today, an army of researchers around the global is advancing the technology, whilst numerous companies are now seeking to commercialize it.

 

In this class, we will look at the past, the present and the future of graphene commercialization, looking at the market complexity/fragmentation, pricing as well as investment/revenue/profitability trends, go-to-market strategies, grand technical and commercial challenges, and so on.

 

We will then examine the graphene technology itself, looking at the material characteristics of different graphenes, reviewing the different production processes, and assessing a big range of potential applications from electronic inks to battery materials, from various composite fillers to functional coatings, and so on. At all times, we will seek to highlight the latest prototypes and commercial launches, whilst making our application assessment as data-based and quantitative as possible.

 

Non-graphene 2D Materials are also now at the forefront of the next wave of research with many hoping that it will lead to the establishment of a diverse family of complementary 2D materials covering the full range of material characteristics. In this class, we will highlight some of the ways for making non-graphene 2D materials whilst reviewing the latest technical progress on a few select 2D materials.

 

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were also once billed as the wonder material of our time. They have therefore been there and done that, and interestingly, CNTs are now quietly making a commercial comeback after doing their time in the wilderness of the disillusionment period.

 

In this class, we will provide a historical perspective on how CNT commercialization has progressed in the past decade, and will consider its future demonstrating that it has finally entered into a major volume growth phase. Here too, we will provide a brief review of types of CNTs, of the different production processes, and of the key existing and emerging applications and market trends.

 

It is hoped that this class with give you strong understanding of the technology as well as the market potential and current commercial progress of these most famous of nanomaterials.

 

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.

 

The Li-ion battery (LIB) market is now mature and ready for significant growth, especially thanks to electric vehicles. How will this impact very different industries like consumer electronics and electric mobility?

 

Li-ion batteries (LIB) have become an important part of our lives, with an increasingly important part of our daily routine revolving around smartphone/tablet charging needs. The 8% year-on-year decrease in battery costs has gradually opened up portable electronics markets that simply did not exist a decade ago. The next logical step is large-scale vehicle electrification. IDTechEx has been following electric vehicles from their very inception and it is clear that we will witness a revolution in the transport sector sooner than we think. Some European countries have already established diesel and petrol phase-outs, and an avalanche effect is to be expected from other countries by the end of 2018.

 

On the materials development side, the trend is towards faster, safer and more energy-dense batteries. These three factors are at odds with each other, meaning that battery makers will only adopt certain electrode or electrolyte chemistries once all of the underlying problems have been solved. This is the case of sulphur cathode and solid-state electrolytes, but also silicon-dominant anode materials.

 

In terms of manufacturing, there is a strong uncertainty over the reliable supply of some raw materials, like lithium and cobalt; others like graphite are experiencing a shift from natural to synthetic sources. After years of dominance in battery manufacturing by Japan and Korea, China is now leading in terms of added production capacity, with some companies claiming to be able to manufacture up to 100 GWh/year within the next few years. Finally, there are many more interesting markets beyond the automotive sector, such as medical devices, Internet of Things, wearables, and niche sector like industrial vehicles, mining vehicles, drones, and marine vessels. Each market has different performance specifications, and LIBs will adapt to each case scenario.

 

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Li-ion batteries (LIB) are the best energy storage technology for mainstream markets, but niche applications require special characteristics, like high power and/or high energy. Supercapacitors and new battery technologies can meet those challenges

 

Li-ion batteries (LIB) are about to overtake lead acid batteries as the most widespread battery technology in the world. However, in some cases they are still too expensive and/or their performance cannot meet stringent requirements set by some unconventional markets, like electrochemical storage systems (ESS) and aviation.

 

Supercapacitors, also called ultracapacitors and EDLC, are easier to manufacture and recycle than LIBs, and can deliver a higher amount of power for some special applications like start-stop systems in cars, or frequency regulation for the electrical grid. After a couple of years of stagnation the supercapacitor industry is showing renewed signs of market penetration. Supercapacitors are already competing with some specialty LIBs like the ones using LTO (lithium titanate) as anode material.

 

Other potentially disrupting energy storage technologies include lithium-sulphur batteries, which have the potential to enable electric airplanes and flying taxis, as well as long-range drones. Only a small number of companies is working on this technology, but the impact can be huge. In the field of ESS, a promising alternative to LIBs is represented by redox flow batteries; even though they are more expensive than LIBs in terms of $/kWh, they have a lower total cost of ownership in those markets where storage for more than 3 hours is needed. Other technologies like sodium-ion and lithium-air are also being investigated, but they are still at an early stage.

 

 

The conductive ink and paste business is one of the largest in printed electronics space. Indeed, conductive inks have commercially roared ahead whilst many more complex and higher profile forms of printed electronics devices/systems have struggled.

 

This is also a market where everything has changed since 2014. The market leadership in traditional volume markets has changed hands with previously low-cost low-quality suppliers rising to the top. The paste manufacturers are now all in search of new emerging markets in the hope that future growth in some will compensate for the decline or the loss of market share in the traditional sectors. Consequently, most paste makers have hugely diversified their product offerings addressing a diverse array of nascent markets each with a different set of technology and market challenges/opportunities.

 

In our masterclass we will cover the main existing and emerging conductive ink and paste technologies such as firing-type pastes and PTF, nanoparticle inks and silver substitutes such as copper and silver-coated copper.

 

In addition, we will explore the progress, requirements and challenges for applications such as solar cells, touch screen edge electrodes, printed sensors, electronic textile, 3D-shaped antennas, magnetic shielding, in-mould electronics, automotive, RFID tags, ITO replacement, OLED lighting, desktop printers, printed TFTs, and so on.

 

 

The transparent conductive film (TCF) market went through a brutal consolidation phase in the past two years. This phase was motivated by the sluggish growth in existing markets, disappointing growth in large-area devices, and the rising threat of substitutes to the incumbent players. These market conditions motivated the incumbent players to slash sales prices, transforming the competitive environment for alternative technologies. This strategy now approaches the end of its usefulness and therefore the industry is now entering into a new, distinct growth phase.

 

In our masterclass, we quantitatively review and benchmark all existing and emerging TCF technologies including ITO-on-glass, ITO films, silver nanowires, carbon nanotubes, graphene, printed metal mesh, embossed metal mesh, photo-patterned metal mesh, nanoparticle networks, PEDOT, and so on.

 

In addition, we will examine the various select existing and emerging applications such as touch screens, flexible devices, OLED lighting, third generation photovoltaics, in-mould 3D-shaped touch surfaces, and so on. Furthermore, we will consider the competitive landscape, reviewing major recent changes as well as offering an analysis for future market/competitive dynamics.

 

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.

Energy harvesting for off grid energy independence concerns the zero-emission creation of electricity using ambient energy. This introductory masterclass will focus on the different energy harvesting options, their construction and combinations, adoption trends and market proliferation.

This masterclass will extend from the high power (10W-10MW) to the low power (<10W) market. Learn how new formats and imminent massive cost reduction will a huge impact in certain cases, with new physics and materials also important.

 

The high-power market is booming and includes both static and mobile end-uses. Recent advances will be analysed. This masterclass will answer questions such as: Where will societal benefits and industrial success accrue? Why are three wave power companies landing first big orders this year? How open sea tidal power can succeed by repositioning. The takeoff in microgrids and billions of dollars of investment and where first commercial successes will happen. What harvesting types give the zero emission replacement for $13 billion a year of diesel gensets? Learn how second generation harvesting from microwatt to MW is much less intermittent and often needs no batteries at all: many examples.

 

Discover low power applications including an ever-increasing addressable market with the rise of wireless connectivity but understand why it is tougher to actually gain much business. Energy harvesting implementation strategies range from powering wireless sensors and actuators to medical instruments and condition monitoring in industrial automation. The successes or failures of these business models and will be discussed and critically assessed.

In the masterclass, 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. What is the significance of most of the leading technologies being available as flexible film now?. The main technologies covered will be:

 

 

The application of 3D printing for medical purposes can take many forms, for instance the direct printing of live organs and tissues ("3D Bioprinting"), the manufacture of medical devices such as surgical guides, implants and prosthetics and the printing of pharmaceuticals. Although the advantages of 3D printing in the healthcare sector are myriad, it is a complex technology which still faces barriers to adoption, both from a technological perspective, as well as a regulatory one.

 

 

Implants and prostheses of previously unprecedented manufacturing freedom can be easily made with 3D printing. The use of patient scan data from MRI, x-ray or CT scans allows for patient-specific medical devices to be rapidly manufactured and design cycles increased to create the optimum product in a shorter time period. The ability to quickly produce implants and prosthetics that are custom made for the patient is one of the key advantages that 3D printing offers over other manufacturing processes. In addition, 3D printed models can be of immense value to surgeons who have been previously limited to utilising 2D scans to inform a medical procedure, or to replace cadavers which may not exactly match the patient's pathology.

 

 

One of the most rapidly growing fields of the entire 3D printing market is for dental applications. Whether directly manufacturing restorations such as crowns or abutments, printing a full dental model, or aligners, the manufacturing capabilities of 3D printers have improved in recent years to rival the devices made through traditional manufacturing processes in a dental lab. In addition, the addition of bringing manufacturing equipment in house rather than outsourced to a third party laboratory can offer an improved patient experience.

 

An emerging application of 3D printing in medicine is tissue engineering. Tissue engineering refers to the technologies that control and direct the aggregate behaviour of cells to recreate tissues of the body, and the use of 3D printing in this field brings the ability to create personalized 3D tissue structures from the bottom-up. Within tissue engineering, the masterclass will focus on 3D bioprinting, where cells are directly 3D printed into the final structure.

 

3D printing is already applied to the creation of novel drug formulations, and an exciting future application is in personalized drugs. 3D printing can be utilized to create highly personalized medicine that is specific to each patient, whether that is in the dosage that they require, the specific combination of therapeutics, or even in the release profiles of these therapeutics.

 

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.

 

 

Ten year market forecasts for barrier films:

 

 

 

 

 

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:

 

Designed for those interested in emerging technologies within the convergence of biology and electronics, this masterclass focuses specifically on bioelectronic medicine, neuroprosthetics, and brain-computer interfaces. The class will discuss the technology behind these trends, as well as current and future applications ranging from research, clinical trials, disease diagnosis and treatment, through to potential consumer applications in user interfaces and media.

 

Bioelectronic medicine is a term that has recently gained a lot of attention due to the creation of Galvani Bioelectronics, a joint venture between Google's parent company, Alphabet, and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. However, regardless of recent focus, bioelectronic medicine is a broad topic spanning cardiac, peripheral, and central nervous systems, as well as next generation electrostimulators such as those discussed by Galvani and others. The masterclass will discuss the latest progress in each of these areas.

 

The related field of neuroprosthetics will also be covered in this class. Neuroprosthetic devices are intended to restore lost physiological functions for patients who are deaf, blind, paralyzed, or amputees. This masterclass will outline the developers of neural probes, cochlear implants, retinal implants, and neuroprosthetic limbs.

 

For those interested in the emerging technologies within the field of brain-computer-interfaces (BCIs), this class will review both invasive and non-invasive approaches towards melding man with machine. Regarding the devices specifically, the masterclass will focus on implantable neural probes and related neurophysiology equipment, in addition to EEG electrodes commonly placed on the scalp surface for non-invasive measurement of brain activity.

 

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 will cover the Internet of Things by examining the applications, case studies and enabling technologies. It will start by addressing the enabling technologies, with appraisal of the different technologies, pricing and capability and limitations. Key providers of each technology and their progress will be covered. This will include:

 

The session will then assess the three main application areas of IoT by assessing the applications, key players, successes, failures and market size for each of the following:

 

Ten year forecasts across a range of market segments will be provided with key trends and unmet needs covered throughout the session.

 

This masterclass will give an overview of sensors made with printed electronics processes. 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 and printed sensors, as well as large-area sensors will also be covered and the leading companies in each segment will be presented.

 

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

1. The market size today and forecast

2. Detailed assessment of emerging printed sensor technologies including capacitive, force, pressure, temperature, optical, gas and other sensor types. For each sensor type the following will be provided:

 

Biosensors are used prolifically across the global healthcare market for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases and health conditions such as diabetes, cancer and infectious diseases. Due to the increasing global population, as well as a growing trend of decentralisation and technological advancement, the total addressable market for medical biosensors is expected to grow markedly over the next ten years. This masterclass will detail these factors and draw conclusions on the impact they will likely have on the global medical biosensor market. Opportunities for capitalizing on current and upcoming trends will be outlined, including discussion of the likely areas of expansion in the addressable market for biosensors in healthcare.

 

 

This masterclass will provide a critical analysis of incumbent and emerging biosensor technologies in the context of the whole market, and how the competitive landscape is expected to change over the next decade.

 

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.

 

 

Haptic technologies involve the sense of touch; different actuators can be used to simulate different sensations which can then be felt by the user. This brand-new masterclass will cover the different types of haptics technologies in the market today, from the mature technologies that can be found in every smartphone and games console controller through to newer emerging techniques that are beginning to disrupt the incumbent options.

 

Advanced haptics are a critical part of new user interfaces (UI), allowing devices to provide an enhanced user experience (UX). This is particularly critical within several prominent emerging markets, including augmented and virtual reality (AR, VR, MR), wearable technology devices and increasingly within autonomous vehicles.

 

 

 

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 class will look at the emerging technological trends enabled by next generation sensors. The class will focus on the key application areas that will undergo large-scale change over the next decade with sensors as the key enabling technology. Whilst end results and applications are varied, the sensing technologies used in each of these sectors have inherent similarities. This class brings these topics together around their component-level building blocks, describing the broad application opportunities available to players in these fields.

 

 

 

This masterclass will provide an overview of key technologies used today in the above-mentioned areas, with particular focus on detection principles, commercial development status, market analysis and future trends. The speaker will detail the technologies, challenges, and opportunities in relevant applications.