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DIRECT INK WRITING PRINTER

NOVA Materials Dispensing System

DIRECT INK WRITING PRINTER

NOVA Materials Dispensing System

Unlock new opportunities and accelerate research and development with this additive manufacturing printer using a range of functional materials and screen-printable inks.

Price: Contact sales to configure NOVA

Book a Demo

Meet NOVA — a materials dispensing system

Iterate

Streamline research and development

Change circuit designs on the fly and get immediate feedback on new ideas, accelerating R&D in advanced materials and flexible hybrid electronics.

Materials freedom

Total material freedom

Experiment with a wide range of high-performance materials and seamlessly transition to mass production using screen printing.

Flexible multilayer

Flexible form factors

Stack multiple layers on flexible, stretchable, soft, or conformable substrates to make wearables, soft robotics, medical sensors, and more.

Software

Clear workflows for consistent result

Guided steps make it easy for different users to run the same process reliably, ensuring continuity and repeatability despite turnover or role changes.

NOVA APPLICATIONS

What NOVA prints

NOVA printing ECG electrodes gold ink

ECG electrodes

Substrate

  • Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)

Printed material

  • Creative materials EXP 2613-40 gold ink
  • Celanese Micromax™ Intexar™ PE874 stretchable silver paste

Nozzle

  • Nordson EFD 7018395 200 µm dispensing tip
  • Nordson EFD 7018424 150 µm dispensing tip

Print time

  • 23 minutes 57 seconds

MULTILAYER PRINTING

Working with NOVA's software

NOVA offers features such as multilayer printing and the ability to alter the sequence of trace printing.

With NOVA's Plan feature, you can:
  • Print up to 4 stack-up layers (multiple materials can be assigned to each layer)
  • Perform multilayer and multimaterial printing
  • Edit print jobs in a single workflow
  • Minimize setup time for repeat print jobs

MULTILAYER PRINTING

Printed sensors: University of Waterloo

“My research involves developing flexible and stretchable sensors for wearable electronics. With the Plan feature, I can separate different sensor elements, traces, or components to different layers and remove toolpaths that I don't want. The ability to change the direction of tool paths has helped me the most — there's no air pockets, and I have a very uniform trace width because I started printing in a designated safe region.”

– Nick Levinski, University of Waterloo

NOVA material dispensing machines

VOLTERA'S PRINTING SERVICE

Need us to print your prototypes?

Submit your designs. We'll print them on NOVA and ship them to you.

VOLTERA'S PRINTING SERVICE

Need us to print your prototypes?

Submit your designs. We'll print them on NOVA and ship them to you.

NOVA material dispensing machines
Voltera NOVA printing multilayer circuitsPanasonic beyolex flexible stretchable circuitVoltera NOVA printed conductive silver insole

BENEFITS

Innovate without limits

Streamline research and development with a direct ink writing printer

NOVA dispensing carbon ink TPU

No tooling

Change designs on the fly and iterate without screens or stencils, eliminating delays and reducing costs.

No waste

Print only what's needed, conserving valuable material.

No cleanup

Material is contained throughout the printing process, simplifying cleaning and handling procedures.

90% faster

Iteration time

96% reduced

Material costs

Explore new possibilities with high resolution materials dispensing

NOVA printing ECG electrodes gold ink

Wide material options

Our material dispensing system is compatible with a wide range of viscosities from inks to pastes, ensuring high conductivity, solderability, and energy density.

Seamless scalability

Validate designs and materials in the lab and seamlessly transition into production with scalable printing technologies.

Repeatable results

Achieve repeatable results with closed-loop pressure feedback, temp-controlled dispensing, and an optimized algorithm for multilayer printing.

100 µm

Line width [1]

1,000 - 1,000,000 cP

Viscosity range

≥107 S/m

Conductivity (single pass)
[1] Dependent on material and nozzle.

Adapt to most substrates with a large, configurable print area

Rigid substrates

Secure your rigid substrates like glass and ceramic of various shapes and sizes with provided threads onto the mounting grid.

Compliant substrates

Secure your conformable substrates like TPU with NOVA's porous titanium vacuum table, which applies uniform suction.

Unconventional substrates

Develop application-specific fixturing for unconventional substrates using the mounting grid features.

220 mm × 300 mm

Print area

40 mm × 40 mm, M5

Mounting grid

Ensure print accuracy with integrated computer vision

NOVA AR camera overlay

Eliminate registration errors

Accurately position and align patterns with augmented reality overlay.

Optimize print quality

Find the ideal height, pressure, and print settings with a dedicated material calibration workflow.

Simplify reporting

Capture images for analysis, measurements, and documentation.

17 µm/pixel

Camera resolution [2]

1920 × 1080

Image size
[2] Dependent on substrate height

Protect intellectual property with easy-to-use software

NOVA software print traces

Offline mode supported

Protect your IP by operating offline via a direct Ethernet connection.

Smooth onboarding

Guided workflows, walk-through videos, and user profiles in the browser-based app set you up for success.

Seamless cooperation and independent research

Browse, create, and modify saved profiles for materials and substrates with the central materials library.

In-app access to support

Gerber file compatible

Up to 4

Stack-up layers [3]
[3] More stack-up layers are possible under certain conditions.

Streamline research and development with a direct ink writing printer

No tooling

Change designs on the fly and iterate without screens or stencils, eliminating delays and reducing costs.

No waste

Print only what's needed, conserving valuable material.

No cleanup

Material is contained throughout the printing process, simplifying cleaning and handling procedures.

90% faster

Iteration time

96% reduced

Material costs
NOVA dispensing carbon ink TPU

Explore new possibilities with high resolution materials dispensing

Wide material options

Our material dispensing system is compatible with a wide range of viscosities from inks to pastes, ensuring high conductivity, solderability, and energy density.

Seamless scalability

Validate designs and materials in the lab and seamlessly transition into production with scalable printing technologies.

Repeatable results

Achieve repeatable results with closed-loop pressure feedback, temp-controlled dispensing, and an optimized algorithm for multilayer printing.

100 µm

Line width [1]

1,000 - 1,000,000 cP

Viscosity range

≥107 S/m

Conductivity (single pass)
[1] Dependent on material and nozzle.
NOVA printing ECG electrodes gold ink

Adapt to most substrates with a large, configurable print area

Rigid substrates

Secure your rigid substrates like glass and ceramic of various shapes and sizes with provided threads onto the mounting grid.

Compliant substrates

Secure your conformable substrates like TPU with NOVA's porous titanium vacuum table, which applies uniform suction.

Unconventional substrates

Develop application-specific fixturing for unconventional substrates using the mounting grid features.

220 mm × 300 mm

Print area

40 mm × 40 mm, M5

Mounting grid

Ensure print accuracy with integrated computer vision

Eliminate registration errors

Accurately position and align patterns with augmented reality overlay.

Optimize print quality

Find the ideal height, pressure, and print settings with a dedicated material calibration workflow.

Simplify reporting

Capture images for analysis, measurements, and documentation.

17 µm/pixel

Camera resolution [2]

1920 × 1080

Image size
[2] Dependent on substrate height
NOVA AR camera overlay

Protect intellectual property with easy-to-use software

Offline mode supported

Protect your IP by operating offline via a direct Ethernet connection.

Smooth onboarding

Guided workflows, walk-through videos, and user profiles in the browser-based app set you up for success.

Seamless cooperation and independent research

Browse, create, and modify saved profiles for materials and substrates with the central materials library.

In-app access to support

Gerber file compatible

Up to 4

Stack-up layers [3]
[3] More stack-up layers are possible under certain conditions.
NOVA software print traces

HARDWARE

Anatomy of NOVA

Voltera NOVA materials dispensing system

NOVA

The modular interface uses kinematic couplings and locking levers to locate and hold modules in place.
Lets you test ink and print settings before printing precious materials onto the substrate.NOVA calibration area priming plate
Stores accessories needed for the day-to-day operation of NOVA.NOVA storage drawer accessories
Measures the position of the Smart Dispenser in the X, Y, and Z axes.
Provides  important information  about NOVA's status.NOVA status LEDs
The A4 print area is sufficient for most designs.NOVA mounting grid print area

Who's using NOVA

NextFlex uses NOVAACI uses NOVAUniversity of Southern California uses NOVA
NASA uses NOVADuke University uses NOVA
NextFlex uses NOVAACI uses NOVAUniversity of Southern California uses NOVANASA uses NOVADuke University uses NOVA

TESTIMONIALS

What customers say about NOVA

York University

I think where this sort of technology, NOVA, will shine is in applications that were not possible before. You shouldn't fight or try to compete with, you know, silicon chips or PCBs. You should try to make something that's impossible with those technologies.

– Gerd Grau, Director of the Electronics Additive Manufacturing Lab at York University

MIT

What we've been able to do with NOVA is print carbon nanotube inks and get field-emitted electrons. (...) Working with NOVA has been fascinating. We've been able to construct devices that we would not be able to do conventionally without expending enormous time and resources.

– Alex Kashkin, Graduate Researcher, Velásquez Group at MIT

ACI Materials

I've printed frequently with NOVA and use it to develop characterization techniques for further product development for us. NOVA is very different from any other product. I would say the user interface is very friendly. It's the type of machine that I would feel comfortable handing off to technicians.

– Andrew Bambach, Production Manager at ACI

CUSTOMER STORIES

See what others are doing with NOVA

Polytechnique Montréal

Print Stretchable Bioelectronics for Research with NOVA

Professor Fabio Cicoira and his team at Polytechnique Montréal utilize NOVA and V-One to develop flexible and stretchable organic bioelectronics.

V-ONENOVA

York University

Advance Electronics Additive Manufacturing with Voltera

V-One was a staple at York University’s Electronics Additive Manufacturing Lab. Then, in 2022, they leveled up their lab by adding a NOVA.

NOVA

PUBLICATIONS

NOVA in academic research

FAST FACTS

Frequently asked questions

  • For U.S. customers: NOVA is made in Canada and is exempt from U.S. tariffs under the USMCA trade agreement. This may change without notice if there are updates to import policies. For more information on U.S. imposed tariffs, visit whitehouse.gov.

  • Specs for the NOVA materials dispensing system:

    • Dimensions: 675 × 605 × 345 mm
    • Weight: ~35 kg
    • Power: 100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 221 W
    • Connectivity: USB-A 2.0/3.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi (dongle included)
    • Motion/precision: XYZ resolution 2.5 µm × 7 µm × 1.25 µm; ± 20 µm stated accuracy
    • Temperature control: up to 40 °C (material)
    • Syringe capacity: up to 2.5 mL

    NOVA is a direct ink writing machine that micro-dispenses on flexible, stretchable, soft, and rigid substrates to fit your use case.

  • Yes. NOVA can be used as an adhesive dispensing system for electronics R&D, delivering controlled bead/line placement with micron-scale accuracy. See our adhesive dispensing page for more information.

  • Yes. NOVA functions as a flexible electronics printer that holds thin films and fabrics flat with a vacuum table and maps height for consistent deposition. It supports flexible material dispensing on PET, polyimide (Kapton), TPU, and textiles, and teams building wearables often treat it like a soft electronics printer.

  • Yes. As a conductive ink printer, NOVA lays down uniform lines for RF antennas, strain/pressure sensors, and flexible circuitry using silver, copper, carbon, or functional ink(s).

  • NOVA accepts standard Gerber files; SVG format is also supported, though it’s currently a beta feature. The browser-based app seamlessly fits into your existing ECAD workflows by supporting standard design output formats, and the NOVA documentation includes setup and usage instructions provided freely online, so you can prepare files correctly from day one.

  • With Plan, you can assign multiple materials across up to four stack-up layers, reorder toolpaths, and save repeat jobs. Teams commonly stack conductor, dielectric, and adhesive layers, using high-viscosity inks and viscoelastic inks for true multimaterial printing.

  • For U.S. customers: NOVA is made in Canada and is exempt from U.S. tariffs under the USMCA trade agreement. This may change without notice if there are updates to import policies. For more information on U.S. imposed tariffs, visit whitehouse.gov.

  • Yes. NOVA can be used as an adhesive dispensing system for electronics R&D, delivering controlled bead/line placement with micron-scale accuracy. See our adhesive dispensing page for more information.

  • Yes. As a conductive ink printer, NOVA lays down uniform lines for RF antennas, strain/pressure sensors, and flexible circuitry using silver, copper, carbon, or functional ink(s).

  • With Plan, you can assign multiple materials across up to four stack-up layers, reorder toolpaths, and save repeat jobs. Teams commonly stack conductor, dielectric, and adhesive layers, using high-viscosity inks and viscoelastic inks for true multimaterial printing.

  • Specs for the NOVA materials dispensing system:

    • Dimensions: 675 × 605 × 345 mm
    • Weight: ~35 kg
    • Power: 100–240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 221 W
    • Connectivity: USB-A 2.0/3.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi (dongle included)
    • Motion/precision: XYZ resolution 2.5 µm × 7 µm × 1.25 µm; ± 20 µm stated accuracy
    • Temperature control: up to 40 °C (material)
    • Syringe capacity: up to 2.5 mL

    NOVA is a direct ink writing machine that micro-dispenses on flexible, stretchable, soft, and rigid substrates to fit your use case.

  • Yes. NOVA functions as a flexible electronics printer that holds thin films and fabrics flat with a vacuum table and maps height for consistent deposition. It supports flexible material dispensing on PET, polyimide (Kapton), TPU, and textiles, and teams building wearables often treat it like a soft electronics printer.

  • NOVA accepts standard Gerber files; SVG format is also supported, though it’s currently a beta feature. The browser-based app seamlessly fits into your existing ECAD workflows by supporting standard design output formats, and the NOVA documentation includes setup and usage instructions provided freely online, so you can prepare files correctly from day one.

NOVA Smart Probe dispensing conductive ink

GET A DEMONSTRATION

Want to see NOVA in action?

NOVA is the electronics printer that will help bridge the gap between what you can do and what you wish you could do with electronics. Take a look at how people are using NOVA for rapid prototyping of additive electronic devices and to print electronics on everything.

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