Electroninks wins Air Force contract for on-demand PCB manufacturing

Electroninks has landed a $1.25 million AFWERX SBIR contract to advance CircuitJet, a platform for rapid printed circuit board production for defense prototyping and sustainment. The work is aimed at helping the Department of the Air Force replace obsolete parts faster and improve electronics resilience at the point of need.

Why it matters: - The Air Force wants faster ways to produce mission-critical electronics when traditional supply chains are too slow or parts are obsolete. - Electroninks’ CircuitJet program is aimed at making printed circuit boards and electronic components at the point of need. - The contract could help improve operational readiness and sustainment for defense applications.

What happened: - Electroninks was selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research contract worth $1,249,907. - The contract focuses on advancing on-demand printed circuit board manufacturing for rapid prototyping and mission-critical electronics sustainment. - The Department of the Air Force opened its Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 to widen the range of innovations it funds.

The details: - Electroninks said CircuitJet is designed to bring manufacturing directly to the point of need. - The platform is intended to enable rapid production of PCBs and electronic components when and where they are required. - Electroninks’ president and co-founder Melbs LeMieux said military sustainment environments cannot always wait for traditional electronics supply chains, especially for obsolete components or urgent mission needs. - Electroninks said the program is an opportunity to further advance on-demand electronics manufacturing for defense use. - The company’s materials business centers on metal complex inks for additive manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging. - Electroninks’ conductive inks include silver, gold, platinum, nickel and copper. - The company says its inks are used in PCB manufacturing, semiconductor packaging, consumer electronics, wearables and medical devices. - Electroninks also said it works with equipment and integration partners to provide a total ink and process solution. - Electroninks provided a website at More information. - The company also listed Contact@Electroninks.com and 512-766-7555. - The release included a disclaimer that the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense or the U.S. government. - AFRL is the Department of the Air Force’s primary scientific research and development center. - AFWERX is the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within AFRL. - AFWERX said it employs about 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at four hubs and sites and manages an annual $1.4 billion budget. - AFWERX said it has awarded more than 10,400 contracts worth over $7.24 billion since 2019.

Between the lines: - The award fits a broader Pentagon push to speed up technology transition from small businesses into operational use. - On-demand PCB fabrication is especially valuable for aging defense hardware, where replacement parts can be hard to source. - Electroninks is positioning CircuitJet as both a prototyping tool and a sustainment capability.

What's next: - Electroninks will use the SBIR funding to develop and advance CircuitJet for defense applications. - The company’s next milestone is proving that on-demand PCB production can support urgent sustainment and rapid prototyping needs at scale. - If successful, the approach could expand how the Air Force handles obsolete electronics and mission-critical repair work.

The bottom line: - The Air Force is backing a push to make defense electronics more locally producible, faster to replace and less dependent on fragile supply chains.