NORTH EAST SET TO BECOME LEADER IN INNOVATION AS CENTRE NEARS COMPLETION
Tuesday, July 1st
Building work at the state of the art Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC) has been completed, establishing the North East as a global leader in innovation for the exciting plastic electronics industry.
Based at NETPark, Sedgefield, a national development and prototyping centre for the development and commercialisation of printed electronics spans 3,000 square metres, providing high-tech cleanrooms, laboratory space, offices and seminar rooms, which are set to house an impressive range of equipment and highly skilled industry experts.
With the aim of de-risking industrial research and development in printed electronics PETEC, creates a clear route between an innovative idea and a marketable product. The facility is designed to be an ideal platform for both start-ups and larger manufacturing companies to get prototype and pilot-scale production up and running.
Customers of the centre will be able to test design concepts and novel materials for a variety of next-generation products, processes, and services for use in a wide range of markets. Potential innovative products to be developed at the centre include; real-time newspapers, smart packaging, flexible printed lighting and point-of-care medical diagnostic products.
Tom Taylor, project director for PETEC, commented, "The printed electronics industry has the potential to revolutionise consumer electronics and will impact on a host of other technologies. PETEC will offer experience, knowledge, and appropriate infrastructure to support customers in an emerging global market. Building and running facilities such as these, are notoriously expensive, a draw back that often alienates companies from developing new technologies. The centre provides a crucial and affordable service for small to medium enterprises, de-risking new development."
Throughout the remainder of the year innovative equipment, including the roll to roll processing facilities will be installed ahead of the formal opening early in 2009.
