Optomec Teams with Lockheed and GE to Secure NextFlex Contract Award

Optomec to deliver multiple systems for printing 3D Sensors, 3D
Antenna and other 3D Electronics as part of $3 Million Project

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Optomec, a leading global supplier of production grade additive
manufacturing
(AM) systems for 3D Printed Metals and 3D Printed
Electronics, today announced that the company, in concert with
development partners Lockheed Martin, Binghamton University, General
Electric Company, Intrinsiq Materials, and the University of Maryland,
was recently awarded one of five development projects from NextFlex®, to
help bring Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) to widespread adoption.
NextFlex is America’s FHE Manufacturing Institute and a leading force in
the U.S. manufacturing industry. FHE is a new class of lightweight, low
cost, flexible, stretchable, conformable and efficient devices for the
Internet of Things (IoT), medical, robotics and communication markets.


The project, entitled “Conformal Printing of Conductor and Dielectric
Materials onto Complex 3D Surfaces” has a total value on $3.1 million.
The total cost-shared value of contracts from all NextFlex project calls
to date is $45 million, signaling the confidence of industry, academia
and government leaders for bringing FHE mainstream.

The goal of the project is to enable conformal printing of conductor and
dielectric materials on complex 3D surfaces by advancing tooling,
software and printing processes. Optomec’s contribution includes the
upfront delivery of two Pilot Line systems to be installed at the
NextFlex Technology Hub in San Jose, California and in New York using
Optomec Aerosol Jet 5-axis (5x) printing systems. Additional existing
Aerosol Jet systems will be made available at a number of the team
member facilities. Advanced tool path generation software will enable
the project team to print conformal circuitry at resolutions down to 10
microns onto 3D surfaces using Aerosol Jet 5x systems. As a result,
Lockheed, the project lead, will deliver conformal sensors, 3D antenna
structures and non-planar circuit routing demonstrators.

“Optomec is committed to supporting industries’ growing need to deploy
smart, connected devices that take advantage of data and cloud computing
advances to improve performance and lower cost throughout the product
life cycle,” said Optomec CEO, Dave Ramahi. “We are very excited to be
part of this important project and to be working with our NextFlex
partners to accelerate the development of FHE-enabled products.”

Click here
for more information on all 5 NextFlex project calls.

About NextFlex

NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing
Institute, is a leading force in the Manufacturing USA network. Formed
through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Defense
(DoD) and FlexTech Alliance, NextFlex is a consortium of companies,
academic institutions, non-profits and state, local and federal
governments with a shared goal of advancing U.S. manufacturing of FHE.
Since its formation in 2015, NextFlex’s elite team of thought leaders,
educators, problem solvers and manufacturers have come together to
collectively facilitate innovation, narrow the manufacturing workforce
gap and promote sustainable manufacturing ecosystems. For more
information, visit www.nextflex.us
and follow NextFlex on LinkedIn,
Facebook,
and Twitter.

About Optomec

Optomec
is a privately-held, rapidly growing supplier of Additive Manufacturing
systems. Optomec’s patented Aerosol Jet Systems for printed
electronics
and LENS
3D Printers
for metal components are used by industry to reduce
product cost and improve performance. Together, these unique printing
solutions work with the broadest spectrum of functional materials,
ranging from electronic inks to structural metals and even biological
matter. Optomec has more than 200 marquee customers around the world,
targeting production applications in the Electronics, Energy, Life
Sciences and Aerospace industries.

Twitter- https://twitter.com/optomecinc
Facebook- www.facebook.com/optomec
LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/optomec

LENS is a registered trademark of Sandia National Labs; Aerosol
Jet is a registered trademark of Optomec.

Contacts

Optomec
Shayna Watson, 505-761-8250
[email protected]