eSurface – Core Technology Enabling Far Cheaper, Faster, Smaller Electronic Devices

For decades, the story of innovation in technology has been the story of our quest to make our devices smaller, faster, more efficient and more affordable.

Once upon a time, a “computer” was a massive contraption that took up an entire room and cost thousands of dollars to operate. Today, computers are economical enough that anyone can afford them, and small enough to sit on our laps, carry in our pockets — or wear on our wrists.

eSurface has done exactly that. We’ve developed a revolutionary, proprietary manufacturing process and chemistry that pave the way for unprecedented levels of efficiency, functionality and affordability in circuit board design.

In other words: 

eSurface is writing the next chapter in the story of hardware innovation.

In order to understand what makes eSurface so groundbreaking, there are a few things you need to know about circuit boards and how they are produced today.

The PCB is one of the most important factors in determining how small, functional and fast an electronic device can be — as well as how much it costs to produce. The smaller, more functional, faster and more affordable the circuit board, the smaller, more functional, faster and more affordable the device that contains it.  Presently, PCB technology is lagging behind other electronics-component manufacturers and is a bottleneck to innovation.

Until now, PCBs have been produced using what’s known as a subtractive process: Through a series of 17 – 30 steps, a flat plastic or composite base material is completely coated with a layer of conductive metal. A protective polymer layer is applied in the design of the circuit. The metal-clad board is then dipped in acid etch until the excess is stripped away, whereupon a stripper product is applied to remove the protective polymer from the circuit line traces that remain.

There are just a few problems with the subtractive process — it’s:

The subtractive process of manufacturing is technique-sensitive, process-laden, labor intensive and, as a result, expensive and inefficient.

The acid etch and other caustic chemicals used in the subtractive manufacturing process result in tons of toxic waste every year, which has a disastrous impact on the environment. High costs for waste remediation have driven most of this business away from the U.S. and other countries with strict environmental regulations.

When using the subtractive method of PCB manufacturing, there’s a limit to how small, how smart and how affordable PCBs can be made — resulting in a limit to how small, smart and affordable the devices that contain these PCBs can be.

That’s where eSurface comes in.

eSurface’s unique, proprietary process and chemistry pave the way for a quantum leap forward in PCB manufacturing and design.

And our devices will never be the same again.

At the core of eSurface’s technology is our game-changing, proprietary chemistry-based process, which forms a covalent bond between any metal and virtually any surface.

The implications of this technology are extensive, but, without doubt, the most exciting is that it completely replaces the subtractive process described above, with a new “additive” process.

To make a long story short: instead of completely coating the base material with conductive metal and then stripping it back down to what’s actually needed, the eSurface method builds circuits from board up.eSurface is:

eSurface’s additive process makes circuit board manufacturing simpler—6 steps instead of the 17-25 required for the subtractive process—and more cost-effective, cutting costs by as much as 65% and allowing manufacturers to make PCBs more affordably than ever before.

The additive process eliminates the need for acid etch and other caustic chemical waste byproducts that pollute the environment, dramatically reducing environmental impact.

Most importantly of all, eSurface’s process paves the way for electronics manufacturers to build smaller, lighter, cheaper, faster and more functional devices.

The Macintosh, the iPhone — we all know the names of the landmark devices that have moved technology forward. We don’t know the names of the next generation of game changers because they haven’t been created yet. But when they are created, they will have eSurface inside.

eSurface’s game-changing technology is the result of years of exhaustive research and development. Now, the technology is ready for its commercial close-up, and the process is already well underway:

The eSurface process is protected by 2 landmark patents, with 7 additional patents in the pipeline.

We have 5 commercial licensees—Sierra Circuits, Component Surfaces, Murrietta Circuits, OK Print and Printech Circuits—2 of which are already filling commercial purchase orders.

In addition to our commercial licensees, we also have 2 university licensees — Utah Valley University and University of Utah. With Utah Valley University specializing in technology development and University of Utah specializing in technology research, together they form a collaborative team that eSurface is partnering with to further advance our technology and IP.

       

In addition to the companies with whom we have already signed agreements, we have more than 75 PCB manufacturers in our sales pipeline. The companies that we are currently in talks with include 4 Fortune 500 companies and 4 of the largest PCB manufacturers in the world.

On the supplier side of the equation, eSurface has agreements with 8 certified suppliers lined up to provide the equipment our licensees will need to put the eSurface process into action — all of which are well-established and well-known in the industry, and more than capable of handling future demand.

David joined the company as CFO in August 2010 and became President within a few months.  Dave’s vision and leadership have lead the team through the past 5 years of startup and development until today, as the company is entering its commercialization phase. David has spent the past 23 years as a corporate turnaround, merger and start-up executive for various manufacturing companies, including state-of-the-art remote sensing systems. He brings a unique blend of strong fiscal management of technology,contracting and licensing savvy, and a proven track record of international sales experience throughout Asia, North and South America, and Europe.

Mike Corrigan is an experienced executive with more than 25 years of extensive responsibilities in operations, strategic planning, finance and administration in addition to serving on the boards of directors of both public and private companies. He has significant international and multicultural experience. He is currently an advisor to a number of privately-held entities and investors in the entertainment, media and technology sectors. He has significant operating experience in the motion picture, television, music, gaming and advertising verticals within the entertainment and media space and with technology applications in the sector. His industry experience covers all facets of the operational management of technology, entertainment and media companies including the creation and protection of intellectual property rights. He also has extensive global business experience, particularly in the development of strategy, execution of transactions, and general management with a focus on Europe, Latin America and Australia. Corrigan has significant capital markets experience and has led a New York Stock Exchange IPO, raised more than $1 billion in M&A financing and advised on a large number of public and private debt and equity financings and restructurings.

Bill is the innovator responsible for the development of eSurface’s groundbreaking methods. Today, he oversees R&D and Intellectual Property development and protection.  Bill received his doctorate of science and technology from the International Academy of Sciences in Moscow and has developed, engineered and designed hundreds of products for companies worldwide. He has invented, patented or trade secreted technologies and products in the field of medicine, computers, aerospace, construction materials, automotive, petroleum and chemical industries for over 30 years, and he is the inventor of the eSurface technology. He has successfully licensed and transferred technologies globally for over 15 years.

Rowland  is responsible for marketing and PR at eSurface.  While he is not on the payroll, he is nevertheless an invaluable asset to the eSurface team. Rowland is the former Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Neutrogena Corporation and was personally recruited by Bill Gates to become one of Microsoft’s first marketing executives. In 1982, Rowland was appointed Vice President of Corporate Communications at Microsoft, and went on to create and execute the company’s highly acclaimed branding strategy which included the market introduction of Microsoft’s most popular product: a graphical interface that he named “Windows.” The strategies he executed led to the global dominance of the Microsoft and Windows brands.

David Torp, is principally responsible for operations and production at eSurface. Due to his connections both within the PCB industry and beyond, he also provides invaluable assistance in business development.  Dave has more than 25 years of experience in business development, marketing and engineering operations. Most recently, he was the Vice President of Standards and Technology at IPC, where he was responsible for the development of industry standards for electronics manufacturing and assembly operations. Prior to IPC, David served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Kester, ITW in Itasca, Ill. Dave has also held various engineering positions at Rockwell-Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.