The present work discusses the fabrication of low-cost, reliable and durable flexible electronic circuits from conductive carbon paste on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using microdispensing direct ink write technique. Printing parameters such as pressure, substrate speed and gap size are optimized through Box-Behnken experimental design technique to achieve the desired quality of prints (patterns). For the nozzle with an inner diameter of 200 µm, the system is able to produce pattern line width ranging from 198 µm to 295 µm, respectively. Based on optimized parameters, circuits such as foil grid and rectangular spiral are printed on a flexible PET substrate. The deposited patterns of circuits are morphologically characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy. Current-Voltage (I-V) characteristic is performed to evaluate the conductive performance of circuits. The sensitivity of circuits to bending is assessed by studying resistance response under fully bend and unbend angle of 90° and 0°. Durability and reliability of circuits are analyzed by subjecting circuits to continuous 500 bend cycles and study its resistance response. The analysis revealed that these direct ink write circuits are reliable, durable and stable in performance and are applicable to the flexible electronic application.

Featured Application: Supplier chain management, Industry production, Efficient industry management, global business management, smart manufacturing. Abstract: Modern day industries strive to obtain long-term supplier integrations (SI) with potentially stronger supplier groups, to achieve fast and reliable production. This paper studies the process of selecting vendors, while simultaneously considering the aspects of random factors, multiple criteria, and efficiently reaching optimal solutions to improve the SI. A framework was developed that consists of three layers of expert opinions, supplier requirements, and multi-objective bee colony optimization. The model factors affecting the SI decision were explored from the comprehensive relevant literature, and these factors were shortlisted and prioritized. Routines for the modeled framework were coded by using the proposed algorithms which were implemented for a real-world problem from a manufacturing small and medium enterprise (SME) in Pakistan. Optimization of SI was carried out on an archived artificial bee colony (AABC). Its effectiveness was also evaluated by comparison with simple artificial bee colony (ABC) and particle swarm algorithms. The methodologically calculated results, obtained from simulation of a mathematically reinforced optimization framework, are highly beneficial for the industry, as well as local and international suppliers. A detailed and in-depth evaluation of suppliers was provided by the sensitivity analysis, which presented a more rigorous authentication and elaboration of the results. The presented framework is the first of its kind for the SMEs of Pakistan and can be applied with little modification to other industries. competitive business climate, companies cannot afford undue delays in supply orders. From small industries to mega projects, the supply chain plays an important role in achieving production goals [2].A sound number of these challenges can be successfully handled if enterprises can develop long-term win-win relationships with well-matched international and national prospective suppliers. Therefore, the concept of supplier integration (SI) has been recently proposed by different researchers to enable enterprises to conveniently cope with these dynamic supply chain business issues [3][4][5][6]. SI is the concept for improving the part of the supply chain between manufacturers and their respective suppliers of ingredients, raw materials, packaging, etc. By sharing information between parties, the suppliers and buyers are able to exercise judgment on costs, quantities, timing of deliveries, production streamline product flow, and to create a collaborative relationship [7]. However, this strategy is coupled with a number of problems. The demographic location of countries, their economic status, product categories, and the capabilities of suppliers are some of the main factors affecting the decision regarding selection of suppliers and long-term integration with the manufacturer [8].The literature shows that different factors...