Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-01169, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Marangoni, Alejandro (University of Guelph), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Voltera Inc. sells an innovative printed-circuit-board prototyping system called the V-One that prints_x000D_
conductive inks onto a variety of substrates to make electronic devices, as opposed to the traditional method of_x000D_
photolithography and chemical etching of a metallized substrate. This additive manufacturing approach also_x000D_
allows the V-One to dispense other rheologically complex materials, including the diverse set of novel_x000D_
materials currently in development for printed electronics (PE). While these materials enable new applications_x000D_
and markets with high potential for growth (wearable devices, printed batteries, structural electronics, etc.),_x000D_
companies seeking to create PE products must risk significant investment in large-area manufacturing methods_x000D_
before they are able to begin any development. The Voltera V-One is uniquely positioned in this regard to_x000D_
enable low-risk, low-cost prototyping of PE by collaborating with PE materials producers to tailor their_x000D_
rheology for dispensing - however, this formulation process is currently costly and inefficient, requiring lengthy_x000D_
trial-and-error experimentation based on qualitative observations. This is because there is currently no_x000D_
established test and characterization method which can quantify the rheological properties of PE materials in_x000D_
terms of their effect on positive-displacement dispensing characteristics, requiring qualitative assessments in_x000D_
processing conditions, rather than at lab-scale. Such a test and characterization method is necessary for Voltera_x000D_
Inc. to fully support increasingly diverse PE materials, as manufacturers continue to heavily invest in their_x000D_
production and development. This work seeks to develop such a test method, by characterizing the linear and_x000D_
nonlinear viscoelastic properties of PE materials in conditions representative of positive-displacement_x000D_
dispensing using state-of-the art equipment and expertise at the University of Guelph. These test methods will_x000D_
allow Voltera Inc. to predict the dispensing behaviour of PE materials at lab scale with commonly available_x000D_
rheometry equipment, thereby drastically accelerating the formulation process, and making these materials_x000D_
widely accessible to companies in Canada and abroad., program purpose french : Voltera Inc. sells an innovative printed-circuit-board prototyping system called the V-One that prints_x000D_
conductive inks onto a variety of substrates to make electronic devices, as opposed to the traditional method of_x000D_
photolithography and chemical etching of a metallized substrate. This additive manufacturing approach also_x000D_
allows the V-One to dispense other rheologically complex materials, including the diverse set of novel_x000D_
materials currently in development for printed electronics (PE). While these materials enable new applications_x000D_
and markets with high potential for growth (wearable devices, printed batteries, structural electronics, etc.),_x000D_
companies seeking to create PE products must risk significant investment in large-area manufacturing methods_x000D_
before they are able to begin any development. The Voltera V-One is uniquely positioned in this regard to_x000D_
enable low-risk, low-cost prototyping of PE by collaborating with PE materials producers to tailor their_x000D_
rheology for dispensing - however, this formulation process is currently costly and inefficient, requiring lengthy_x000D_
trial-and-error experimentation based on qualitative observations. This is because there is currently no_x000D_
established test and characterization method which can quantify the rheological properties of PE materials in_x000D_
terms of their effect on positive-displacement dispensing characteristics, requiring qualitative assessments in_x000D_
processing conditions, rather than at lab-scale. Such a test and characterization method is necessary for Voltera_x000D_
Inc. to fully support increasingly diverse PE materials, as manufacturers continue to heavily invest in their_x000D_
production and development. This work seeks to develop such a test method, by characterizing the linear and_x000D_
nonlinear viscoelastic properties of PE materials in conditions representative of positive-displacement_x000D_
dispensing using state-of-the art equipment and expertise at the University of Guelph. These test methods will_x000D_
allow Voltera Inc. to predict the dispensing behaviour of PE materials at lab scale with commonly available_x000D_
rheometry equipment, thereby drastically accelerating the formulation process, and making these materials_x000D_
widely accessible to companies in Canada and abroad., agreement title english : Rheological Characterization of Ink, agreement title french : Rheological Characterization of Ink, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2018-03-07, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada