By: Danyelle Michelini, Technology Entrepreneur Center
Founded earlier this year by S. Brett Walker and Professor Jennifer Lewis, Electroninks Inc. was born out of Lewis’ research lab in the University of Illinois’ Research Park.
Lewis, a former University of Illinois materials science professor and Walker, a recent PhD graduate in materials science, originally created the reactive silver ink to be used in low-cost, flexible printed electronics in a business to business focused venture. A new application of the ink came about due to demand for a consumer product that allowed “makers” to build their own circuits.
Demand for this innovation has pushed Electroninks into creating a Kickstarter Campaign to scale up production and get Circuit Scribe, their newest product, out to consumers.
Backer packages range from $5 to $5,000. $20 will buy you a Circuit Scribe. $5,000 will buy you your own in-person classroom demo with plenty of pens and components.
Reactive silver inks are particle-free silver ink formulations for a number of different printing processes. These inks can be patterned via inkjet, flexopress, aerosol jet, and other low viscosity processes.
This ink has several advantages over the alternative particle-based inks: the manufacturing process is minutes compared to hours; the ink remains stable for several weeks; and the cost is a fraction of particle-based options.
Rounding out a list of press coverage, the conductive silver ink was even named Popular Science's Invention of the Month.
Circuit Scribe, a rollerball pen that fluidly writes with silver ink, makes creating circuits literally as easy as drawing.
This approach enables consumers - Makers, STEM Educators, Artists, Kids, and Life Hackers – by putting electronics into their hands with a pen and a simple piece of paper.
“We’re very excited to be offering a tool to make building electronics, easier and more accessible for creators of all ages,” stated Walker.
Circuit Scribe can be used in conjunction with Arduino, Makey Makey, and many other electronic platforms.
In creating Circuit Scribe, the team’s hope was to give back to students, future students, and educators in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. The pen allows classes to quickly, easily and cheaply construct circuits without the use of typical breadboards or expensive components.
This goal encouraged the team to hire Analisa Russo, director of STEM Outreach, to continue to develop tools for the education and maker communities for low-cost, high-quality electronics.
“STEM Outreach is a part of our attitude and atmosphere. It’s a very fundamental part of our company,” said Walker.