Voltera

09/04/2026

Ever wonder how a car dashboard hides a fully functional circuit behind its surface? Meet in-mold electronics. 🚗

IME prints conductive traces, dielectric layers, and even ICs directly onto a flat plastic substrate, and then thermoforms it into a 3D shape and molds it into a single rigid part. The electronics get permanently sealed inside. ⚡

Result: touch controls, lighting, antennas, or sensors seamlessly built into the product itself, with no visible wiring or separate components. 🔌

Used across automotive, consumer electronics, appliances, and aerospace, IME is redefining what a "smart surface" can look like. ✨

Learn more about IME applications: https://hubs.ly/Q04wz8M-0

Explore in-mold electronics, from practical applications and aesthetic advantages to the development of thermoformable, crack-resistant functional inks.

09/03/2026

Over 200 V-Ones. Hundreds of students. A whole new way to teach PCB design.

In South Korea, ITIZ has been putting V-One into classrooms since 2017, and it's changing how engineering gets taught.

Before, schools had no way to validate students' PCB designs, so many hesitated to even teach the subject. 📚

Now, students design, print, and test real circuits — everything from Bluetooth speakers to a Hangul clock with a 3D-printed case. Some even train for WorldSkills competitions on V-One. 🏆

Read the full story: https://hubs.ly/Q04v-Zcd0

09/02/2026

Want the printed electronics scoop delivered monthly? We've got you. 📬

The Print is our monthly newsletter: new Voltera content, upcoming webinars, events we're heading to, and the latest research and breakthroughs shaping printed electronics. 🔬

One email a month, straight to your inbox. 📥

Subscribe here: https://hubs.ly/Q04v-8hQ0

09/01/2026

New to V-One? Let's build something that counts. 🔢

The 99 Decimal Counter Bundle is a hands-on way to explore digital logic: build a two-digit counter that counts 00 to 99 at adjustable speed, with a reset button to bring it back to zero. ⚡

Integrated counting ICs handle digit rollover automatically, while dual 7-segment LED displays give you a bright, easy-to-read output. 💡

Perfect for students, hobbyists, and educators looking to level up their V-One skills — reliable components, straightforward assembly, real electronics fundamentals. 🎓

Get the bundle here: https://hubs.ly/Q04v-n280

Description: Explore digital logic, 7-segment display, and counting circuits with this hands-on project. You’ll build a two-digit counter circuit that counts from 00 to 99 at an adjustable speed, with a reset button to return the display to 00. The board uses integrated counting ICs to handle digi...

08/31/2026

What makes a flexible ultrasound sensor survive 10,000 bends? The electrode. 🔬

Researchers at George Mason University tested five electrode materials for flexible ultrasound transducers. To build and test each device, the team used Voltera's NOVA to print the silver ink contact pads and interconnects linking every electrode into a working transducer. 🖨️

The most conductive one wasn't the winner. 🏆Porous laser-induced graphene outlasted dense silver and gold electrodes, holding steady after 10,000 bending cycles and 8 weeks of aging, while gold lost 80% of its signal in just a few hundred bends. 📉

Full study 🔗: Hagen, S., Valenzuela, D. A., Chitnis, P. V., & Movaghgharnezhad, S. (2026). Microstructured Electrode‐Piezopolymer Interface for Ultrasound Transducers With Enhanced Flexibility and Acoustic Performance. Advanced Materials Technologies, 11(12). https://hubs.ly/Q04vLNHL0

08/28/2026

Can you thermoform a printed circuit without cracking it?🔧

We prototyped an in-mold capacitive touch HMI sensor. Here's the assembly flow: 👇

1️⃣ Print the conductive layer (touch electrodes + traces) on ABS, then a dielectric layer on top to insulate and reinforce it before forming
2️⃣ 3D print a custom thermoforming buck, built with draft angle and stretch in mind
3️⃣ Thermoform the circuit into its final 3D shape
4️⃣ Print a separate Arduino interface circuit + flexible ribbon cables to connect it all together
5️⃣ Dispense conductive adhesive ink for a heat-safe connection 🔌

End result: a working touch slider + circular control, wired to LEDs for real-time feedback. ✅

Full breakdown of the process: https://hubs.ly/Q04vfwQC0

08/27/2026

Maple syrup, honey, water — what do they have to do with printed electronics? 🍯

Turns out, everything comes down to viscosity, a fluid's resistance to flow. And it's the single biggest factor in choosing the right ink for your printing technology. 🔬

Direct ink writing (like on V-One and NOVA) sits in a sweet spot: compatible with a broad viscosity range, no tooling or screens needed to iterate. Once your design's dialed in, it transitions straight to screen printing for scale. 🚀

Prototype fast, scale smart. That's the power of matching viscosity to method. ⚙️

Read the full breakdown here: https://hubs.ly/Q04tXDRF0

08/26/2026

⚡ How much voltage can a printed bioelectronic film actually handle before it breaks down?

Researchers at Polytechnique Montréal set out to answer that with PEDOT:PSS, a material commonly used in bioelectronics. Using NOVA to print both the silver contacts and the PEDOT:PSS films themselves, the team built a standardized framework to test voltage stability across three environments: dry air, a saline electrolyte, and a non-aqueous ionic liquid. 🧪

🔋 The results: PEDOT:PSS held stable up to 40V in dry conditions, but that threshold dropped sharply to about 1.2V in saline and 5V in ionic liquid, showing just how much the surrounding environment changes what's "safe" for these devices.

📄 Read the full paper: Dongnang, K., Noussi, C. M., Fan, J., Saygin, G. D., & Cicoira, F. (2026). Towards standardized high-voltage testing of printed conducting polymer electrodes: influence of electrolyte environment and pulse duration. Nano Futures, 10(3), 035002. https://hubs.ly/Q04v4fkC0.

08/25/2026

Solvent-based vs. UV curable: which piezoelectric ink wins? ⚡

Our applications lead Nathan is putting two piezoelectric inks head-to-head: how they print, how they cure, and how they perform as an actual piezoelectric sensor. 🔬

Printability + workability + real sensor performance = the deciding factors for what we use going forward. 🧪

08/24/2026

🚗 Can you print a touch sensor directly into a car's dashboard trim?

In-mold electronics (IME) let you build touch functionality straight into shaped plastic surfaces — no separate touchscreen module required. In our latest video, we print and thermoform a capacitive touch sensor for automotive slider controls, using inks designed specifically for IME. ✨

🖨️ Watch how NOVA and Conductor 3 silver ink are used to print a capacitive touch sensor circuit and an Arduino interface circuit onto ABS, then thermoform the printed part into its final shape.

▶️ Watch the full video: https://hubs.ly/Q04tW6sS0