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A p r i l 2 0 1 4 / Q U I C K P R I N T I N G 35 w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m additive manufacturing, you're adding rather than subtracting." The Printer's Perspective As noted, the printer comes at func- tional printing from a perspective differ- ent than that of the innovator-engineer. Reported Chang: "The printer says, 'I know about printing. If you want to [produce] printed electronics, I can make those conductive tracks of printed elec- tronics on flexible substrates. I can print a large format on a flexible substrate. I can do that not just with inkjet, but with the traditional print technologies like offset. The advantage is that I can go very fast, with high production levels, and print to very large substrates.'" The flexible substrate could be used to print a large display that is hung to be seen. Flexible substrates also lend them- selves to innovation, because objects are no longer limited to inflexible sub- strates. For example, solar cells can be printed on a flexible substrate that then can be applied to a vehicle's curving surface to collect energy as the vehicle is driven. Antennas can be printed on flexible surfaces and used in areas where rigid antennas cannot be employed, Chang reported. Leveraging Functional Printing Print service providers must be involved in and communicating with the innova- tors and engineers, because they know "the whole system" of printing, Chang said. "There is so much we can teach the innovators and engineers," she observes. "We know the workflow of how print goes from a concept to a product. And when [the innovators] innovate, they need to understand how to take some- thing from a concept to a product." Chang foresees the evolution of func- tional printing unfolding in much the same way as printing in general evolved, moving from very large print houses to much smaller, more localized printing sources. "We as print service providers need to understand what the innovators and engineers are doing, not only so we can offer our experiences to them, but also so we can innovate in the usage of func- tional printing." Chang wants PSPs to begin thinking of innovative ways of including functional printing as part of the services and solu- tions they provide. In short, their role should not be simply offering consulta- tive services. Because PSPs already have the distribution channel in place, they should be assuming the role of printing functional items. Either the print service providers do it or engineering firms do it or, she argues, they do it together. Printing companies are so creative that Chang hopes they will find creative ways of using functional printing that have not yet been envisioned. "The engineer- ing and innovation world may not fully realize how much we know," she said. "They may not realize this. So we really need to be in touch and communicate with them, so we can bring our added value to this field ....I want people in the print industry to become active, so we become part of this growing area. I don't have a solution, but I know what I want to see happen." Is it worth the effort? Chang cites recent articles on functional printing by The Economist, the New York Times, and Forbes. "No one really knows the full potential of this technology, but there are high hopes and tremendous potential," she said. The Economist has termed it the third industrial revolution." ◗◗ (continued from page 19) Functional Printing Metal Mesh touch-sensor film solutions are being developed by Eastman Kodak and its functional printing partners. QP_18-19_0414 Functional.indd 35 3/18/14 3:49 PM