Press for printing an electrical circuit component directly onto a substrate using an electrically-conductive liquid

A printing roller for printing an electrically-conductive liquid directly onto a flexible substrate, comprising:

• a cylinder having a polished surface disposed about a circumferential face thereof, said surface having a printing direction and a direction transverse thereto;
• and
• a plurality of liquid-carrying cells in said surface, for carrying the electrically-conductive liquid, at least one cell having a first liquid communication portion in liquid communication with a cell adjacent in the printing direction, said at least one cell also having a second liquid communication portion in liquid communication with a cell adjacent in the transverse direction, said first and second liquid communication portions being disposed below said polished surface.

A printing press for directly printing a plurality of electrical circuits onto a substrate, comprising:

• a printing surface for contacting the substrate during the direct printing operation;
• and
• an array of liquid-carrying cells disposed on said printing surface, for carrying an electrically-conductive liquid which is deposited on the substrate when said printing surface contacts the substrate during the direct printing operation, said array of cells comprising a plurality of patterns each of which comprises an electrical circuit pattern, each electrical circuit pattern having continuous pathways in a printing direction and in a direction oblique thereto so that when the electrically-conductive liquid is carried by said cells, the liquid in each electrical circuit pattern is conductive in both the printing direction and in the oblique direction.

A printing press for directly printing an electrically-conductive liquid onto a substrate, comprising:

• a printing surface for contacting the substrate during the direct printing operation, said surface having a print direction and a direction transverse thereto;
• and
• a plurality of cells disposed on said printing surface, for carrying the conductive liquid, said cells being disposed such that carried liquid is electrically-conductive, below the printing surface, in both the printing direction and in the transverse direction, said plurality of cells being disposed to deposit the conductive liquid onto the substrate during the direct printing operation.