The Vision:

To provide a radically new way of thinking for the end-to-end design, processing, assembly, packaging, integration and testing of complete 3D miniaturised/integrated “3D Mintegrated” products.

 Objective:

The miniaturisation of form and function has been an enormously strong economic driver over the last 50 years. However, the current microengineering philosophies, which are based upon those used for semiconductors, permit only the manufacture of products based on single materials, typically in planar configurations. To address these compromises, and to create a competitive edge for UK businesses, 3D Mintegration will generate the new design and manufacturing techniques needed to produce complex 3D miniaturised devices and assemblies. Developing true-3D, multi-material technologies and then transferring them from the research base to become commercially viable processes is recognised as a Grand Challenge.

Industrial Impact:

The project team, which includes IMRCs and universities at Brunel, Cambridge, Cranfield, Greenwich, Heriot-Watt, Loughborough and Nottingham, and also the National Physical Laboratory, is concentrated upon delivering design and manufacturing toolsets, validated through prototype demonstrators that embody and probe the complex issues behind the above topics. The work will form the basis for next generation automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, medical and consumer products that will combine significantly improved performance with higher added value, sustainability and eco-efficiency. The 3D-Mintegration project will help companies introduce the needed train of processes by delivering fundamental design and manufacturing toolsets derived through practical research, plus important and valuable insight into how evolving practices in this field worldwide may be adopted and adapted for optimal exploitation in the UK.

Three Manufacturing Routes:

At the highest level, 3D-Mintegration will build on three manufacturing philosophies:

1. Lamination whereby products are built up from sheets of embedded components and interconnects. This approach lends itself naturally to “reel-to-reel” manufacturing.
2. Building block construction, where structures evolve from the joining and/or growing of 3D forms. This approach may favour the integration of “odd-form” microparts, such as sensors.
3. Folding construction, where planar structures are folded to occupy a defined 3D space. This origami-like approach may allow products to flex into their applications environment.