A NEW facility could see paper thin signs that change electronically in shops and public places within the next year.

The Printable Electronics Technology Centre (Petec), is to open a facility where firms working in the design, print and packaging industries can start introducing the technology into their products.

The £1.5m expansion to its existing centre at NETPark, near Sedgefield, will use traditional print machines and equipment linked to equipment that can attach the electronic components.

The facility, which should be in operation by the end of the year, marks a massive leap forward in bringing printable electronics technology into commercial use.

The technology removes the need for masses of wiring, instead allowing circuits to be printed onto a film no thicker than a sheet of paper.

Petec programme manager Bela Green said that while televisions that could be rolled up like a sheet of paper were still some way off this technology could start to be seen in shops and public places within the next year.

"This is looking at closer to market applications," she said.

"I think other platforms we have got are looking at a longer time line, but this one was something we can do now.

"It is fantastic to get to this point and we have already got people knocking on our door for this facility."

The advantage of the process is that much of it would be carried out by equipment many firms would already have.

The print equipment would be linked to more advanced machines capable of attaching printed components at production speeds.

"It is going to use traditional and established print and packaging processes," said Ms Green "What you can do is use this to make smarter packaging pretty much immediately, because the processes are already there.

"The big thing about the facility is that it will have print equipment recognised by the print industry, which is important if you want them to invest in this, as they don't have to make many changes."

Petec will work with companies to develop and prototype their ideas at the facility so that full-scale production can start on the client's own equipment.

Ms Green believed it was important to raise awareness amongst firms to the potential of printable electronics in their everyday work.

"If you look at what is out there designers dont know what printable electronics are capable of, part of the reason for this facility is showing them, because showing is believing."

The new facility at Petec, which is managed by The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), has been part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).