Design, manufacture and test for reliable 3D printed electronics packaging.

The development of a surrogate modelling approach to aid design of 3D printed electronics packaging structures is presented, alongside a detailed overview of manufacture and reliability of a representative test structure. An overview of the current status in 3D printing in the electronics packaging sector is provided. Subsequently, a surrogate modelling approach for correlating thermomechanical stresses within a package to a number of design parameters is presented. This approach enables the design of a package to be considered in a more insightful manner and can additionally be integrated into condition based monitoring tools capable of enhancing product robustness. An overview of an advanced electronics packaging system capable of 3D printing electronics packages is presented. The system combines inkjet printing and curing of multiple materials, including conductive silver inks, with precision component placement, multi-material dispensing and 3D inspection systems to provide a highly flexible solution for rapid manufacture of electronics packages. Test structures manufactured using the system were subjected to a vigorous set of reliability tests. Details of the test regime and related results are presented. All tests were passed, indicating the robustness of the described manufacturing process.