Electroninks wins Air Force contract for on-demand PCB manufacturing

Electroninks has won a $1.25 million AFWERX SBIR contract to advance on-demand printed circuit board manufacturing for rapid prototyping and mission-critical defense sustainment. The work centers on the company’s CircuitJet platform, which is designed to produce obsolete parts and electronics at the point of need.

Why it matters: - The Air Force wants faster ways to produce and replace electronics when traditional supply chains cannot keep up. - On-demand PCB manufacturing could help sustain aging systems, support urgent repairs and reduce downtime in defense operations. - The contract gives Electroninks a path to prove CircuitJet in applications tied to readiness and resilience.

What happened: - Electroninks was selected by AFWERX for a Small Business Innovation Research contract worth $1,249,907. - The contract focuses on advancing on-demand printed circuit board manufacturing for rapid prototyping and mission-critical electronics sustainment. - The work is tied to Department of the Air Force challenges. - The announcement was made July 22, 2026.

The details: - CircuitJet is the platform Electroninks is using for the program. - The project is aimed at rapid production of obsolete parts and mission-critical electronics. - Electroninks said the goal is to bring manufacturing directly to the point of need. - Melbs LeMieux, co-founder and president of Electroninks, said military sustainment environments cannot always wait for traditional electronics supply chains. - LeMieux said the program could advance on-demand electronics manufacturing and improve operational readiness. - Electroninks develops metal complex inks for additive manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging. - The company’s conductive inks include silver, gold, platinum, nickel and copper. - Electroninks said its inks are used in PCB manufacturing, semiconductor packaging, consumer electronics, wearables and medical devices. - Electroninks also works with equipment and integration partners to provide an ink-and-process solution. - The company’s contact information and website were listed in the release, including the company’s website.

Between the lines: - The Air Force is signaling continued interest in small-business technologies that can shorten the path from design to deployed hardware. - The focus on obsolete parts suggests supply-chain fragility remains a practical problem for defense electronics. - Electroninks is positioning CircuitJet as more than a prototyping tool; the company is framing it as a sustainment capability.

What's next: - Electroninks will use the AFWERX funding to continue development of CircuitJet for defense use cases. - The next milestone is likely demonstration of whether the platform can reliably produce needed PCB and electronics components at the point of need. - If the work succeeds, the approach could inform broader adoption across defense sustainment programs.