We'r soo lucky to have kings of printing technologies with us. This is a good thing imo, there goes a fellow mesher leaving it up to copper/silver.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1316211-unipixel-atmel-and-carclo-aim-to-dominate-the-touch-sensor-market?page=2

XSense vs. UniBoss

''The biggest issue that metal mesh touch sensors have is transparency. The metal mesh circuit lines are not transparent; they are visible and they can glare. Metal mesh touch sensor are actually an old technology. Maybe you have seen an old touch monochrome display were you could see small glare lines running across the display. This is why this technology is no longer used. But now UniPixel and Carclo have achieved printed circuit lines small enough so they won't glare. In this case, XSense with printed circuit lines at sub 5 microns compared to UniBoss at 6 microns (plus or minus one) is the clear transparency winner. Atmel, the last earnings call, mentioned that XSense has achieved transparency equal to ITO because of a new grid design. And that makes me think that UniBoss with wider circuit lines has less transparency than ITO.

Another point of differentiation between XSense and UniBoss is the manufacturing process. XSense uses photolithography to apply the catalytic ink, while UniBoss uses an embossing process where the printed circuit is pressed against the film and the catalytic ink is then applied to the embossed film. UniBoss uses a 100 microns thick film for embossing, while XSense uses a 50 microns thick film making UniBoss 50 microns thicker than XSense.

Not only is UniBoss thicker than XSense, but it requires special handling because the embossed circuit on the film is delicate. Remember these are embossed micro structures only 6 microns in size, and any bump could deform them. This is why UniPixel does not sell the sensor by itself. UniPixel sells the entire sensor module laminated with the protective film, whereas XSense is sold un-laminated. This is an advantage XSense has over UniBoss, because it gives the OEM the option to do the lamination in house, whereas UniBoss forces the OEM to buy a laminated sensor only to have it re-laminated over the display.

The only advantage that UniBoss claims over XSense is price and price alone. UniPixel's embossing process is not only cheaper than Carclo's photolithography, but UniPixel claims that their catalytic ink formula is cheaper too. Carclo's CEO has claimed that XSense is about half the price of ITO, but Atmel is charging premium price for XSense, because they know that XSense is a superior product compared to ITO, so they see no need to undercut in a market where demand exceeds supply.

Atmel vs. UniPixel

One thing I like about UniPixel is its management-aggressive posture. UniPixel's aggressive expansion plans are something marvelous to behold. Atmel has some clear advantages over UniPixel, including a head start on the touch sensor market, but UniPixel aims to be a "world class high volume producer," whereas Atmel seems to be happy by just being a player. There is no reason why Atmel could not be the number one producer of touch sensors in the world, but they are just not aiming for that. Atmel's management team could learn a thing or two from UniPixel''