Press Release

Printed electronics startup makes display-battery module

Prelonic Technologies OG (Linz, Austria), a printed electronics startup formed in 2007, has built prototype samples of display-battery modules created by printing on a single substrate.

The display-batteries are produced via screen printing on polyethylene terephthalate film (PET film), which is as thin as paper. The company said the prototypes will be the basis of a market entry in 2009 with a product that can provide a flexible active display with integrated push-button for activation and the required battery.

'Such modules can operate as stand-alone application in marketing material, greeting cards or gaming cards. We are able to offer these modules in large quantities at reasonably low prices. First, we are going to launch some test products to explore and investigate different applications and markets,' said Friedrich Eibensteiner, CEO of prelonic, in a statement.

Printed batteries and simple printed displays have been possible for some years but mass adoption has been inhibited by the need to integrate different components together.
Prelonic is ramping up production capacity for volume and planned to move into a new facility.

'Until now we used our sheet equipment for producing the prototypes. It is fast enough to produce prototypes and low volumes. To prepare for the ramp up in 2009 we had to acquire roll-to-roll equipment. Our five-stage roll-to-roll screen printer will enable the volumes expected in the next year. It shifts us in a new era of production scale, but it will be only an intermediate state: rotary screen-printing, gravure and flexi-printing equipment will be the target production technologies at the end,' said Eibensteiner, in a statement.