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Screen meets the need
I knew I was right, screen isn’t dead, it was just resting while other technologies caught up with its capabilities. Strangely, although screen is sometimes seen (wrongly in my opinion) as an environmentally unfriendly process, it is environmental concerns that are driving significant opportunities.
The previous issue of Screen Process and Digital Imaging featured a rotary screen application for flexible solar cells. Now, turn to page 26 of this issue and you will see news of an alliance between two powerhouses of the industrial screen industry, Dek and BTU. The partnership will see the two companies deliver complete in-line metallisation process solutions for, you’ve guessed it, solar cell manufacturers.
The reason screen is emerging as a technology leader in a whole host of advanced applications is down to three key attributes.
Firstly, screen can deposit virtually any material on any substrate. When scientists and engineers are developing and scaling new technologies they need a manufacturing process with the flexibility to handle their precise material deposition requirements. Screen meets the need.
Secondly, screen offers incredible accuracy and repeatability. Again, new technologies often measure their print profiles in microns rather than millimetres. Screen meets the need.
Finally, screen is fast. Scaling from lab to factory requires a process that is equally happy on the desktop or shop floor. Screen meets the need.
Given these attributes, and others, why waste time looking for alternatives when the optimum solution is staring us in the face. Screen, what a process.
Jon Barrett
Editor
