Heidelberg Japan K.K.

As the global market leader for sheetfed offset presses, we have been delivering top print quality and innovation for 170 years – and have the necessary expertise in the development, qualification and manufacture of modern electronics. As experts in printed electronics with a focus on flexible printed sensors and a profound understanding of the materials, processes and printing technologies that are essential for the development of flexible and hybrid electronic systems. 

Smart film for new ideas.

With the industrial production of sensor-equipped functional films, Heidelberg is opening up a new field for digital business models. Every square meter of the film is equipped with up to one million sensors that register the smallest changes in pressure, temperature or humidity, and report them to the computer.

The entire sensor technology is printed in a single pass – with all the conductor paths, sensors and the interface to digital terminal devices.

What can the film do?

• Highly accurate, spatially resolved pressure distribution
• Wide measuring range from a few grams up to thousands of tons
• High load capacity in weight and temperature range
• Long durability
• Light as a feather, wafer-thin and elastic
• Flexibly adaptable layouts

Printed and organic electronics is an innovative technology for producing sensors based on conductive inks and functional materials. These sensors deliver data into the cloud and are a relevant cornerstone for the application areas Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things.

Compared to conventional microelectronics, printed electronics are characterized by simpler, more flexible and, above all, more cost-effective production, can be designed on a large scale, and are less than one millimeter thin.

Further advantages are the energy-efficient production method, due to the resource-saving use of materials. This aspect and industrial series production stand for consistent quality in large quantities at relatively low costs and are important preconditions for success in international competition. Printed electronics are already in use in many industries such as the automotive industry, consumer electronics, household appliances, pharmaceuticals, and health care.

Heidelberg closely collaborates with InnovationLab

InnovationLab GmbH (iL) is one of the leading R&D companies in printed and organic electronics providing tailor-made solutions for its customers' R&D challenges and accompanies them from the first idea to the industrial production at Heidelberg.

Customers not only benefit from the use of the extensive infrastructure for research and development of printed and organic electronics, they are also advised both technologically and scientifically along the entire value chain.

Shareholders of InnovationLab are the companies BASF SE, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and SAP SE as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Heidelberg. In 2008, the network was named one of Germany's top clusters by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Heidelberg Printed Electronics offers the following advantages to you

We offer end-to-end realization of printed electronic components, sensors and systems customized to your needs. We support our customers in their projects from the initial concept study through the sample phases and scale up to industrial production at any scale.

• Printed electronic components and sensors with a resolution of over 1 million sensors per square meter.
• Hardware and software solutions for capturing and processing the generated data
• Production technology versatile as a swiss knife: The flexibility of sheet-to-sheet manufacturing combined with the productivity and reliability of roll-to-roll production
• Made in Germany, ISO 9001 certified
• Custom-made components solving your problem

Let us print the future together!