You’re playing a game on an obscure old gaming system when the controller breaks. What do you do? The obvious answer could soon be “print a new one.”
Brisbane-based startup Cartesian Co. launched a Kickstarter campaign today to fund a printer that prints circuits. The EX¹ can print on materials like plastic, paper and fabric, meaning it could print paper circuits and wearable electronics.
While the creators label the EX¹ a 3D printer, it’s not exactly building towering objects. Like an ink printer, it contains two cartridges. Each is filled with a chemical. The printer lays down a layer of each and they react to form strips of stable, conductive silver nanoparticles. Only the exact amount of each chemical needed is used, leading to almost zero waste and no dangerous residues.
Traditionally, creating circuits requires soldering–a messy process by which a hot tool, such as a soldering iron, is used to…
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