A Survey of 3D Printing Technologies as Applied to Printed Electronics

3D printing technologies (3DP) leverage the benefits of additive manufacturing across many areas including electronics, food, medicine and optics. These technologies allow varying materials to be precision deposited, forming structures ranging from simple to complex composites such as organs and satellites. One important application for 3DP is printed electronics which is expected to exceed USD10 billion in market value by 2030. However, while considerable work has been reported in areas including inter alia: mechanical, thermal and multiple aspects, there has been less emphasis on the critical electromagnetic (EM) domain. In the EM domain, related work for 3DP encompasses interrelated EM studies of materials, processes and built structures and examines material characteristics including permittivity, permeability, electrical conductivity, which are foundational to 3D printed electronics design and fabrication. This paper presents a comprehensive report of 3DP technologies as applied to EM research & development (R&D) and end applications in order to inspire exploratory work in related areas by providing sufficient breadth for newcomers and depth for experts. The paper contributions include: summarization of the major R&D and applications areas for 3DP, thereby quantifying the prevalence of EM related work; examination of mainstream 3DP technologies applied to EM related R&D and end applications based on their materials, technology highlights and known issues; examination of relevant research which incorporates traditional printing, proprietary methods and composite 3DP methods; and classification of 3DP built EM structures as reported by research teams. Finally, the key challenges and opportunities for future research are identified and discussed.