Light-Rolls: an innovative project that takes care of cost efficient production for light modules

 

The EC funded project Light-Rolls was started by kick-off meeting at 7^th of July 2009. The project focuses research and development of modular based production units for the seamless, high throughput manufacture of micro-structured, polymer based components and microsystems. The scientific objective aims to realize structures in the micron range and integrate also dies to be assembled in high-speed and parallel by benefit of self assembling. Nanoparticle dispersions used in fast conductive track printing technologies will allow the parallel generation of conductive lines.

These processes comprise the founding elements of the Light-Rolls technology platform with a roll-to-roll philosophy. The manufacturing modules will be integrable, exchangeable, with mechanical, fluidic and IT interfaces, to make it easy and cost efficient to adjust the sequence of process steps to the product to be produced. Besides the translation of processes for high-throughput manufacturing, high yield will be achieved by the application of advanced process control and production IT methods. Lines run without dangerous chemicals and use integrated recycling. For future products a Light-Rolls knowledge base for design for manufacturing will be elaborated. A pilot line will be set-up, tested for fabrication of flexible LED-display systems. Manufacture of other components like Lab-on-Chip or integration of new micro-energy storage components is possible in future to address needs of European industry. Project website is available clicking on  www.light-rolls.eu

For any requests please contact project office: 

info@light-rolls.eu; Prodintec dgf@prodintec.com and  microTEC info@microtec-d.com

Light Rolls Partners: Prodintec Spain, microTEC Gesellschaft für Mikrotechnologie mbH Germany, Norbert Schläfli Maschinen Zofingen Switzerland, Centro Ricerche FIAT S.C.p.A. Italy, Design LED Products Ltd United Kingdom, ACP-IT GmbH Austria, Fraunhofer IPA Germany, Xaar Jet AB Sweden, microelectronica S.A. Romania; Project is co-funded by European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement n° CP-TP 228686

 

David González Fernández

Inno-what?

BY CARLOS GARCÍA

Mmm… Such an interesting topic! And nowadays it’s true cool. INNOVATiON is one of these days most used words. Just Google it and you’ll get 119 million results. But if we are to be talking about it I would like to know what we’re talking about. There are different sources of information that we should accept to be ”true”, but everyone may also have their own opinion, which I’d be glad to hear.

First of all we can try several dictionaries and thesaurus. I frequently use an on-line dictionary called “The free dictionary“, which is obviously free, and automatically gives you the contents from other interesting and specialized (medical, legal,…) ones, as Collins, Cambridge, etc, and also wikipedia. This dictionary also offers American and British English pronunciation, which is very useful. I also like the VISUAL THESAURUS which presents the words in a mind-map or thinkmap style, and you can navigate through the related meanings and find new relationships between words, but you have to subscribe although you can try it for free.

Well then, let’s try INNOVATION, and we’ll see that all the sources refer to meanings as introducing something new, invention, creativity, change, revolution, and also things like freshness, modern, etc.

It is also important to know what the European Union thinks about it. I’ve found a kind of legal definition in relation to the Lisbon strategy:

Definition. Innovation consists of the successful production, assimilation and exploitation of novelty in the economic and social spheres.

Importance of innovation for companies. Innovation helps companies conquer new markets or stave off competition. It comes in many different forms, ranging from an invention arising from R&D to efforts to adapt production procedures, tap new markets, use new organisational approaches or create new marketing concepts.

But far away from the frozen contents of a dictionary or the legal aspects at EU level, and according to the suggestive (“stimulating further thought”) title of this blog, INNOVATION is related to ACTION, so here we have the INNOV-ACTION. And I personally agree with this term. For me, Innovation is not an act but an attitude, or “…the tendency towards a mode of response, toward the object in question” according to McGraw-Hill’s Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. It is a way of facing and tackling problems and challenges

In my next post I would like to explain why I believe that innovators are not the same as inventors, explorers, pioneers, and the like, and also how PRODINTEC is helping companies in the process of INNOV-ACTION to increase their competitiveness.

Carlos García