IMAGINE: a newspaper 'printed' on a foldable plastic touch-screen. A paper that can be carries in a pocket and checked for instant news at any time, because of its built-in mobile receiver. A paper powered by ultra-thin polymer batteries.
Is this a dream come true? Not yet, but a lot of talented scientists and engineers around the world are working towards just such a device. And this is just one of the many, fabulous, new applications of plastic electronics that could leave labs and fabs for consumer markets any time now.
Polymers are well known as insulators, but it's only since the invention of conductive and semi-conductive plastics that organic electronics have taken off. They've made possible all kinds of new applications, because of their thin, light, flexible and extremely inexpensive formats.
These applications are only feasible with close and intricate collaboration between specialists. They need material scientists, product designers, integrators, engineers and the consumer manufacturing industry to fulfill their potential.
'In plastic electronics it takes more than two to tango' - this will be the key message of the second annual Plastic Electronics Conference and Showcase on October 24 and 25, 2006 in Frankfurt, Germany. More than 120 presentations will feature renowned speakers from science and industry, introducing the latest developments in organic electronics (www.plastictronics.org).
They will demonstrate the diversity of applications that can be created, engineered and produced with plastic electronics. From flexible displays, sensors and fuel-cells to lighting, signage, smart fabrics, packaging and more. This is a real get-together of talents from science and industry.
The scientific world realised how promising Plastic Electronics were some time ago. Now the industry has woken up too. Internationally renowned companies such as CIBA, Dai Nippon Printing, Dupont Teijin, Merck, Plastic Logic, OTB, Xerox and others are working with consumer manufacturers like Samsung, Nokia, Siemens, Motorola, Royal Philips Electronics.
All these stakeholders are establishing commercial relationships to bring new and exciting applications to market. Several of these will be presented at the second Plastic Electronics Conference and Showcase at the Sheraton Hotel in Frankfurt.
Showcase: 30 exhibitors and more to come
Running alongside the Conference will be the Plastic Electronics Showcase, where leading companies and scientific institutes from the field of organic electronics will demonstrate their latest applications.
Visitors will gain first-hand knowledge of exactly where this young technology is by talking to experts from the field. The showcase will also be an important information exchange between developers, manufacturers and users in this emerging international marketplace. It aims to be a catalyst for the transfer of the latest research developments into industrial applications and end-user products and will open up new markets for these forward-looking technologies.
The information showcase will enable exhibitors to position themselves as 'prime movers' in this growth market and to benefit from the expected boom in the technology.
Master class: to improve technologic knowledge
One day before the Conference, on October 23, the company will be hosting The Printed Electronics Introductory Master Class at the Sheraton Hotel. The master class introduces the full range of technologies, evaluates their progress and development, and indicates who is leading the pack in developing technology, improving manufacturing efficiencies and bringing emerging applications to market.
The master class is designed for those new to the rapidly advancing technology of organic electronics or who need to understand the big picture, to assess challenges and opportunities.
Background to the second Plastic Electronics Conference and Showcase 2006
The Plastic Electronics Conference and Showcase is an international conference with an accompanying information exhibition and takes place on October 24 and 25, 2006, at the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers. The hotel is located adjacent to the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport, in Germany. All information about venue and program can be found at: www.plastictronics.org
To tie in with the motto 'Where Science and Industry Meet', this forum is designed to encourage information exchange between researchers and industry.
It focuses exclusively on the new application areas which electrically-conductive polymers are opening up. The advantages of polymers lie in their comparatively simple and low-cost manufacture. Electro-conductive polymers are already used in display and solar technology, and in sensors. There's also a huge potential market for simple plastic electronic systems in Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags, low-cost biomedical sensors, data storage and consumer products.
The first products in these markets are scheduled to be introduced this year. Latest studies estimate a market volume for organic electronics of 30 billion US-dollars by 2015.
Background to the Plastic Electronics Foundation
The Plastic Electronics Conference and Showcase has been created by the Plastic Electronics Foundation. The Foundation has set up a Science Board and an Industry Board to assure the quality level of the conference program.
Well-known research institutes, universities and companies are represented on these boards, and the boards will select the topics for the conference.