Warm holiday greetings,
As we approach the 2017 holiday season, I pause to reflect on the progress we have made this year as we continue to fit out the Technology Hub with equipment and process know-how. Soon, NextFlex will be home to the greatest collection of print capability under one roof, more than anywhere in the world. This is your resource! Let us know how we can help to prototype your next flexible device, prove out your manufacturing and assembly process, or help your team develop new expertise on our equipment. Jason Marsh, Director of Technology for NextFlex, has provided details in his write-up in this newsletter so please take a moment to read that.
Call for Award Nominations from the FHE Community
NextFlex will participate in the first FabLab Science and Innovation Awards, brought to you by the same team that produces the Teen Choice Awards, and the Young Women’s Honors. To be held April 14 in Santa Monica, CA, the award show will be hosted by Mayim Bialik of Big Bang Theory fame and a neuroscientist in her own right, and will.i.am, 7-time Grammy winning recording artist, tech icon, and philanthropist.
Celebrating innovation and encouraging the nation’s youth to pursue STEAM education and manufacturing career pathways are key goals of this new event that promises to elevate the message that manufacturing and “making stuff” is cool. NextFlex, alongside Manufacturing USA, is proud to be associated with the event, and we invite you to get involved. Along with the other DOD sponsored manufacturing institutes, we are seeking award nominations to recognize those who inspire others to choose manufacturing as a career, and students who demonstrate proficiency in “making things.” Here is how:
1. Nominate a Manufacturing USA Champion that will recognize teachers, mentors, and advisors who demonstrate to young people, employees, and communities what it means to “make” things. Nominations are open to individuals or teams that foster manufacturing skills and innovation in advanced manufacturing technologies. Any organization (academic, trade, industry, or government) or individual (fellows, teachers, advisors, and/or students) may submit a nomination. We would love to see nominations from our FHE community as we know that there are many who fill these roles in helping others to learn about our evolving technology.
2. Nominate a Manufacturing USA Student to be recognized for fully developed projects, products, techniques, or processes that advance manufacturing in the US. Nominations are open to students of any age currently enrolled in grades 6-12, an accredited technical school, community college, four-year college, or university, at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Categories for male, female, and team projects are available. We recognize that the criteria for this award is very broad, so if you have ideas but are not sure that they fit, contact me, and I will help you shape the nomination. Again, it would be great to see nominations from our FHE community.
Nominations are due March 1, 2018.
New Flexible Power Technical Working Group Announced
Based on recommendations from members attending the November 6-8 Powering the Internet of Everything Workshop held at Georgia Tech (see summary article in this newsletter), NextFlex will form a Flexible Power Technical Working Group co-led by Michelle Farrington of Analog Devices, Devin MacKenzie of the University of Washington, and Enoch Wang of the U.S. Government. Members interested in joining the Flexible Power Technical Working Group should contact NextFlex, and save the date for a Flexinar, presented by Analog Devices, on Power Management on January 24, 2018.
Open Position at NextFlex
NextFlex has an immediate opening for a Director of Fab Operations, to oversee process design, prototype design and test, prototype manufacturing, and low-volume manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronic technologies and products. The Director of Fab Operations will lead the manufacturing development team, and as part of the NextFlex leadership team, will be a contributor to both strategic and tactical planning and execution, and for supporting business development and technology development teams. Please let us know if you are interested in joining the NextFlex team by visiting the Careers page.
FHE-related SBIR Topics Released Today
Several SBIR topics of interest to the NextFlex community were released today in pre-solicitation phase, including:
- Chronological Sweat Sensor Patch for Real-Time Human Molecular Biomarker Monitoring
- Low temperature copper inks for low-cost flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing
- Compact UHF/VHF Antenna
Additional information, including a link to the full list of topics and important dates, can be found here.
NextFlex Meetings Set for 2018FLEX
The following member meetings have been set for 2018FLEX in February. Please mark your calendars.
| DAY | DATE | TIME | EVENT |
| Mon | Feb 12 | 12-4 PM | Tech Council |
| Tue | Feb 13 | 6-8 PM | NextFlex Member Reception |
| Thu | Feb 15 | 12-2 PM | NextFlex Governing Council |
| Thu | Feb 15 | 2-6 PM | Technical Working Groups |
| Fri | Feb 16 | 9-12 PM | High Performance Flexible Systems Roadmapping & Strategy Session |
Watch your email for RSVP requests for all NextFlex meetings at 2018FLEX. Also, the SEMI FlexTech team is seeking exhibitors for 2018FLEX so do not miss this chance to present yourself to the entire FHE community. For more information, please contact Eric Rude at SEMI.
One final reminder for NextFlex members, please do check in to the NextFlex Member Portal, found at www.nextflex.us. Presentations from the Powering the Internet of Everything workshop have been added recently, as well as many quarterly project update slides.
As always, please get in touch with your ideas, suggestions and questions. Thank you for helping to make 2017 an outstanding year for NextFlex and the FHE community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Malcolm J. Thompson
Executive Director, NextFlex