Manufacturing of Conductive Circuits for Embedding Stereolithography by Means of Conductive Adhesive and Laser Sintering

The embedding stereolithography (eSLA) is an additive, hybrid process which combines the flexible production of 3D-components with the integration of electrical and optical conductive structures and functional components. This combination of several process steps in one manufacturing process implies a high technological potential regarding the integration density of the assemblies.To create conductive circuitsinside and on the surface of SLA-parts, the manufacturing process of these structures has to be integrated into the SLA-process and shouldnot contain disassembling of partsfrom the SLA-building platform. In this context, the production of embedded conductive circuits by means of dispensing conductive adhesivesand laser sintering is a highly promising process.The dispensing can be made during the entire SLA-process by interrupting it. In this way the conductive adhesive can be deposit inside the part and the electrical conductivity of these structures will be achieved by laser sintering in the next step.This paper shows fundamental investigations concerning the applicability of the conductive adhesive for embedding stereolithography and the laser sintering process as well.