#3Dstartup: Voltera designs printed circuit boards thanks to additive manufacturing

Less often discussed, additive manufacturing also has its place in the electronics sector, where it enables the design of smaller, finer and more precise components than conventional production methods. Known as micro 3D printing, this technique can improve the performance, functionality and miniaturisation of devices. It is often used in prototyping stages before the final product is manufactured. In fact, the startup we interview today, called Voltera, is interested in additive manufacturing to design printed circuits, beyond prototyping. Voltera has developed a machine to create its own circuits, hoping to revolutionise the electronics sector by making this 3D printing technology more accessible. We met with Alroy Almeida, one of the founders of the company, to learn more about the functionalities of its 3D printer and his vision of the sector!

3DN: Can you present yourself and tell us about your relationship with 3D printing?

I’m Alroy from ​Voltera​. My background with 3D printing goes back 10 years, creating mechanical components for projects. At Voltera we do a fair amount of prototyping – originally with a filament-based printer but over the last few years we’ve moved to SLA (on our own machine and through print shops). While I still keep on top of what’s happening in the 3D printing space, since ​Voltera is an Additive Electronics​ company​, I’m incredibly intrigued about the current state of the art and future developments of AE technologies.

Part of the Voltera team, Alroy is at the right

3DN: Why did you decide to launch Voltera?

In 2012 we realized that 3D printers were very handy for mechanical prototyping but a circuit printer didn’t exist for electronics engineers. During the early stages of product development, it is awful to wait weeks for prototypes to arrive from factories or to pay ridiculous fees to expedite delivery. The electronics were becoming the bottlenecks at many companies. We learned this the hard way while designing electronics at various companies. Personally, my background was in industrial electronics (ruggedized communications for factories and other harsh environments) but I also did some development on medical devices. My business partners had plenty of experience in automation, EDS, and materials research.