Flexible electronics manufacturers are pushing traditional boundaries such as volumetric form factor, functionality, and design flexibility in consumer electronics. To this end, Panacol and Hönle UV Technology have successfully developed turnkey solutions comprising of multi-functional adhesives and UV curing equipment, that can be tailored for novel Photovoltaic and flexible electronics applications. 

For OPV applications, these new UV and UV-LED curable adhesives were developed specially for laminating barrier foils. They provide higher resistance to environmental stresses, an improved compatibility to the PV material and low WVTR (Water Vapor Transmission Rate). Being UV-curable, they offer high throughput processes, including roll-to-roll that can be run with greater efficiency.

Flexible and bendable UV-adhesives have also been created for more traditional applications that are now being performed on flex circuits. They include new underfills for die-attach as well as structural adhesives for component edge bonding. All UV-adhesives from Panacol get easily cured with high intensity UV and/or UV-LED curing systems from Hönle, which perfectly match the wavelengths of the Panacol photoinitiators. Their light footprint options range from 3 mm diameter spot units to linear LED arrays that can exceed one meter in length.

The latest conductive adhesives from Panacol can efficiently secure flexible resistors and create flexible electrical connections in solar cells, touch sensors and wearable devices. This includes a one-component, silver-filled conductive adhesive that adheres very well to plastics, including polyimide, PC, PVC, ABS, and FR4 boards. When fully cured, the adhesive is very flexible with high peel strength, making it the perfect choice for use in applications subject to vibration, oscillation or rapid temperature changes. A major advantage is its very easy handling and storage as it only needs to be stored refrigerated, not frozen. It is easily dispensed, and cures within minutes at temperatures as low as 100°C. This makes it possible to fixture semiconductors and create electrical connections in a single step.