We move from East Wales to West Wales with the topic of plastic electronics. Swansea University's Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating has been highlighted as a UK Centre of Excellence for Plastic Electronics by The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.See also: Mandelson outlines plastic electronics plan for UK
Monday saw the launch, by the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, of the Plastic Electronics Strategy For Success: Realising the UK Potential, at the QE2 Conference Centre in London.
According to Mandelson, "The UK is already a global leader in the Plastic Electronics sector thanks to our world-class science-base and our strengths in research, creativity and innovation. We now need a roadmap for the industry that takes it from cutting edge to mass market while keeping Britain firmly in front."
"While you would normally associate the fundamental science of printing with the production of newspapers, packaging and books, The Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating, based in Swansea, has focused its' research on the application of traditional printing methods to the manufacture of new and novel products,'" said Professor Tim Claypole, Director, Swansea University's School of Engineering.
"It is a credit to our strategic vision, coupled with our awareness of incoming technologies and a strong tradition of partnership and collaboration with industry, which has led to Swansea University being recognised as a UK Centre of Excellence for Plastic Electronics."
By way of example, the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating will be responsible for the creation of 'demonstrators' that show how Printed Electronics can be integrated into products - such as 'self illuminating' and 'interactive' poster displays (which include a series of printed lamps and intelligent sensors) that can be integrated into cost-effective and interactive books, magazine covers, smart packaging or point-of-sale advertising materials.
Lord Mandelson is pictured alongside a Polyphotonix OLED dress.
We will be running a picture gallery on plastic electronics, covering this story in more detail, so stay tuned.
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The following points were highlighted by Swansea University
· Plastic Electronics technology allows circuits to be printed on to any surface and over large areas. This low-cost alternative to conventional silicon-based electronics will lead to the creation of new generations of products, including smart systems which integrate components such as sensors, batteries and displays. The disruptive technology makes it possible to produce a wide range of innovative products more cheaply and in a more environmentally-friendly way than previously viable.
· According to the UK Government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the global market for Plastics Electronics is under $200 billion today but is forecast to grow at an astonishing rate over the next decade, exceeding $120 billion by 2020 and as much as $330 billion by 2027. The largest growth in the sector is predicted to take place in the markets for rollable electronic display screens, ultra-efficient lighting and low-cost, long-life solar cells.
· A copy of the UK Strategy can be downloaded from: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53890.pdf
· The UK Centres of Excellence for Plastic Electronics are located at: Cambridge University, Imperial College London, Manchester University, Printable Electronics Centre (PETEC) Sedgefield, and Swansea University's Welsh Printing and Coating Centre (WCPC).
· Printing and coating is one of the largest industry sectors and the School of Engineering's Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC) is a world leading research centre focusing on investigating printing and coating as a manufacturing process. It has purpose-built fully equipped air conditioned laboratories for measurement of printed and coated product. The Centre enjoys access to industrial printing facilities and also works closely with all components in the supply chain, including ink, substrate and machinery suppliers. The Centre has also attracted research funds from European Structural funds, EU Framework 7, EPSRC, The Technology Strategy Board and The Welsh Assembly Government. For further information, visit: www.swansea.ac.uk/printing
· Swansea University's School of Engineering is one of the leading Engineering Schools in the UK and, in the recent Research Assessment Exercise, the Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Centre (MNC) was ranked 5th in the UK out of 52 institutions submitted to the General Engineering category. For further information, visit: www.swansea.ac.uk/engineering
"It is a credit to our strategic vision, coupled with our awareness of incoming technologies and a strong tradition of partnership and collaboration with industry, which has led to Swansea University being recognised as a UK Centre of Excellence for Plastic Electronics."
By way of example, the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating will be responsible for the creation of 'demonstrators' that show how Printed Electronics can be integrated into products - such as 'self illuminating' and 'interactive' poster displays (which include a series of printed lamps and intelligent sensors) that can be integrated into cost-effective and interactive books, magazine covers, smart packaging or point-of-sale advertising materials.
Lord Mandelson is pictured alongside a Polyphotonix OLED dress.
We will be running a picture gallery on plastic electronics, covering this story in more detail, so stay tuned.
--
The following points were highlighted by Swansea University
· Plastic Electronics technology allows circuits to be printed on to any surface and over large areas. This low-cost alternative to conventional silicon-based electronics will lead to the creation of new generations of products, including smart systems which integrate components such as sensors, batteries and displays. The disruptive technology makes it possible to produce a wide range of innovative products more cheaply and in a more environmentally-friendly way than previously viable.
· According to the UK Government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the global market for Plastics Electronics is under $200 billion today but is forecast to grow at an astonishing rate over the next decade, exceeding $120 billion by 2020 and as much as $330 billion by 2027. The largest growth in the sector is predicted to take place in the markets for rollable electronic display screens, ultra-efficient lighting and low-cost, long-life solar cells.
· A copy of the UK Strategy can be downloaded from: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53890.pdf
· The UK Centres of Excellence for Plastic Electronics are located at: Cambridge University, Imperial College London, Manchester University, Printable Electronics Centre (PETEC) Sedgefield, and Swansea University's Welsh Printing and Coating Centre (WCPC).
· Printing and coating is one of the largest industry sectors and the School of Engineering's Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating (WCPC) is a world leading research centre focusing on investigating printing and coating as a manufacturing process. It has purpose-built fully equipped air conditioned laboratories for measurement of printed and coated product. The Centre enjoys access to industrial printing facilities and also works closely with all components in the supply chain, including ink, substrate and machinery suppliers. The Centre has also attracted research funds from European Structural funds, EU Framework 7, EPSRC, The Technology Strategy Board and The Welsh Assembly Government. For further information, visit: www.swansea.ac.uk/printing
· Swansea University's School of Engineering is one of the leading Engineering Schools in the UK and, in the recent Research Assessment Exercise, the Multidisciplinary Nanotechnology Centre (MNC) was ranked 5th in the UK out of 52 institutions submitted to the General Engineering category. For further information, visit: www.swansea.ac.uk/engineering
