Why every Engineer's Tool Box should include a Bare Conductive pen!

Like a Chef, any respectable Design Engineer should have a basic set of essential ingredients in their tool box to help tackle problems or add a little zest to the recipe. Say hello to Bare Conductive's electronic paint.

What started out as a University Project idea by Matt Johnson and Co to print electronic circuits onto human skin, quickly evolved into an awesome tool that every Maker, Hacker and Design Engineer should have in their tool box.

The applications for Bare Conductive’s waterbased nontoxic electrically conductive paint are endless. It can be used to learn the basics of Electronics by using it to paint circuits, or at the other end of the scale, drawing in a missing or broken tracks on a PCB.

Here are some great examples of where it has been used.

Drawing and Printing Circuits

Electric paint can be used to draw or screen print low voltage circuits.  When drawing circuits, it’s a bit like painting a wire.  When it’s dry, it becomes conductive.  Screen printing also means that it’s great for creating applications like wearable tech.  Electric paint can be used on all kinds of surfaces and substrates including walls, glass, textiles, plastics and wood.

Cold Solder Components

There is not always a soldering iron to hand to make a quick repair of your broken tech, or add or repair a component on a prototype that you have created.  Some applications may also be sensitive to heat.  Electric paint is an effective conductive adhesive and is applied straight from a handy pen or tub, and is ideal for securing things like through hole components.

Repair a Circuit

When prototyping or making quick repairs, Electric Paint can be a great hack for connecting up a broken track or break in a circuit on a PCB or a piece strip-board.  Its adhesive properties also mean that it will make a lasting repair.

Capacitive Sensor and Potentiometer 

Bare Conductives electric paint has another great trick up its sleeve!  It makes a great capacitive sensor on almost any surface. 

Touch and proximity sensing can be achieved at a range of scales, it even works through some solid surfaces.

Touch Board

The Touch Board is a fantastic companion of electric paint.  Its Arduino compatible and turns almost any material or surface into a sensor.  It’s great for creating interactive applications including sound via its onboard MP3 player. 

The Technical stuff

Processing Graph & Equation

Typical 55 Ω/Sq @ 50 microns or 32 Ω/Sq surface resistivity when using a brush/manual screen printing. The below graph illustrates how resistance changes with line shape and a simple equation can be applied to roughly predict surface resistance:  Resistance = 19.77(length/width) + 12

Whether you are looking to create fun projects, make repairs or lash together prototypes, Bare Conductive's electric paint is a handy addition to anyone’s draw or toolbox.

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