I did some prototype 3D molded printed circuit “boards” back in the late 1980s. The technology involved selectively plating conductors on molded parts, then additively increasing the thickness, and it worked pretty well, allowing things like PC traces “going up the walls” of an enclosure for example, taking advantage of available real estate. Of course printed electronics is a whole ‘nuther thing, but doing the logical combination of 3D printed substrates and then depositing conductors, insulators, passives, and organic semiconductors certainly has potential.
Modular design sounds interesting to me. I don’t know about the entire thing being modular but a basic phone with one or two replaceable modules could be handy. If you aren’t into photography maybe replace the modual with an advanced GPS or whatever your into.
Yep, and there are companies with semiconductor inks. One I know of is printing active RFID circuits.
It won’t be all that long before a 3-D printer can print not just the mechanical parts of another 3-D printer, but the electronics as well.
The problem being, of course, that once we’ve taught them sex we won’t be able to get a lick of useful work out of them...