Tomas Sluka, CEO & Co-Founder, Creal For Augmented Reality to spread and reach common usage levels, the visual experience needs to be entirely healthy and natural for the user. This is why CREAL has developed a unique AR display that combines light field imagery with ordinary highly transparent ophthalmic lenses, providing a true-to-life depth perception for the human eye and a customizable prescription with the classical aesthetic look of the lenses. While almost all AR glasses providers today are lumbered with trade-offs between focal depth, image resolution, and lens aesthetic, CREAL’s newest display finally enables an AR visual experience that “has it all”. This talk with introduce how.

Steliyan Vasilev ​ Embroidery is a textile manufacturing technique that has its roots in historic hand-stitched garment design. However, with the invention of computers, this textile manufacturing technique has seen a resurgence due to its high levels of material optimization. Embroidery allows the textile engineer to place single fibers, yarns, fiber bundles, or even wires with high precision in a variable, predesigned geometry. Because of this high precision, embroidery is highly applicable for integrating functionality into textiles through textile sensors, actuators, or electrodes. Three types of embroidery technologies are commonly used and defined in the literature. These include chain and moss stitch embroidery, standard embroidery as well as tailored fiber, wire, or tube placement. Each of these methods can be utilized in varying ways for the mass production of smart textiles. The embroidery technology offers enormous possibilities for the automatic integration of conductive fibers and electronic components into textiles to create e-textiles. E-textiles are in development for decades but only a few products could make it to the market. The main reason for this lack of products on the market is the high production costs. Manual production steps increase the production costs and lead to high product costs. Furthermore, reproducibility cannot be guaranteed or manually created products. The high level of automation of the embroidery process finally allows the mass production of e-textiles

Aart-Jan Hoeven | International Project / Technology Manager The technology for integrating dies is an important enabler for the realization of advanced applications. This includes applications with power modules. Critical steps for the integration of such modules are in the micro assembly, for example in the wire bonding and the die attach. This presentation will highlight results from work on these steps in a project for prototyping power modules for electric vehicles (EVs). Important for applications such as EVs and renewable energy supplies is the availability of reliable and efficient power modules. These are needed for converting from AC to DC, from DC to AC, for driving an electric motor and for various other purposes. SiC-based solutions are often preferred for high end applications, because they offer a higher efficiency, higher switching frequencies, reduced switching losses, higher operation temperatures and a better robustness as compared to traditional silicon components. A challenge in the integration of power modules is in the wirebonding. The problem is that wirebonding is a major source of failures because of thermal or mechanical stress, and therefore causes a reduced life time. Improved micro assembly processes can bring solutions for this problem.

Wladimir Punt, European Business Manager Today's smart skin patches can incorporate a broad range of functions, employing hybrid printed electronics to enhance medical sensing capabilities and improve patient outcomes. Along with the enormous potential, though, there are also complex design challenges. The advance of electronics miniaturization is opening new frontiers in Medtech, including in the field of adhesive skin patches. In the past, a skin patch might contain a single wired sensor. But today’s smart skin patches incorporate a broader range of functions. Hybrid printed electronics permit a variety of electronic devices and noninvasive sensors to be affixed to a thin and flexible substrate, enabling designers to integrate sensors, microcontrollers, wireless connectivity and batteries into a capable, durable and connected device. Whether in a clinical or home setting, this enables far more comprehensive patient monitoring. Adding enhanced capabilities to lightweight and flexible skin patches allows patients to go about their day while they (or their healthcare provider) monitor vital signs or activity noninvasively. There is tremendous potential for this flexibility to improve patient monitoring and make it simpler, more comfortable and more accessible. The Evolving Need for Connected Medical Sensing The demand for mobile, connected and noninvasive medical sensing capabilities is growing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for hospitals and clinics to monitor patients remotely became clear. This capability did more than allow doctors to track their patients’ vital signs while maintaining social distancing — it also helped address hospital overcrowding and assisted in alleviating staffing issues. Smart skin patches have emerged as a lightweight, comfortable and portable method of monitoring patients both inside and outside a healthcare facility. The market for home health monitoring is flourishing as well. With smart skin patches, home users can monitor their heart activity, temperature and muscle health. These devices can be used for monitoring sleep and brainwave activity, making the low profile and light weight nature of smart skin patches especially helpful. Skin patches are increasingly popular for femtech applications such as pregnancy monitoring as well. Smart skin patches all use flexible printed circuit technology and safe skin contacting adhesive, but their design architecture varies depending on the application. Each skin patch design is customized and, depending on the need, can be disposable or reusable. Disposable and one-time-use skin patches have a flexible substrate, usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET), with the electronics affixed directly to the substrate. In reusable patches, the electronics are mounted inside a removable “puck” housing that mechanically and electrically connects to the substrate. The electronic components are reusable and only the electrodes in contact with the skin are disposable, reducing waste. This can, however, add logistics challenges and costs for the refurbishing process in some cases. Opportunities and Challenges of Smart Skin Patches Designers of monitoring systems can leverage a wide range of smart skin patch feature options. The skin patch can include various types of electronic devices. One or more sensors can be fitted, including temperature sensors, chemical sensors, electrodes and even optical sensors. The skin patch can also include a battery, a microcontroller and a radio frequency (RF) antenna to maintain a wireless connection to the network. These are the physical building blocks of the system, and to achieve a specific purpose designers can mix, match and customize them to meet performance targets. Different combinations of sensors and other devices can work with sophisticated software to noninvasively paint a picture of a patient’s condition or vital signs. Sounds simple, right? Alas, system reliability requires several different engineering disciplines. For example, material science is vital to ensure the substrate can accommodate the expected wear, yet also provide a secure anchor for the electronic components. The type of conductive paste and hydrogel must meet the system’s requirements for manufacturability, shelf life and performance. Electronic components need to operate reliably during the expected lifetime of the product. Robust testing and validation are necessary to ensure product performance and support regulatory compliance. From Concept to Production Creating a smart skin patch means assembling multiple puzzle pieces to create a complete system. Collaborating with a company with decades of experience in this field is crucial. At Molex, several engineering disciplines work together to achieve a unified goal: Hybrid printed electronics desig Material science Wireless connectivity Sensor integration Prototyping Testing and validation Production Packaging Involving Molex engineers from the earliest stages of the design process helps ensure the product meets performance specifications and manufacturing requirements. In addition to engineering expertise, Molex also offers global manufacturing capabilities to reduce supply chain risks and speed time to market. The need for smart skin patches to improve patient wellness and outcomes is enormous and continues to grow. Our medical expertise and collaborative design approach coupled with our diversified supply chain, high-volume production capabilities and regulatory compliance experience (including ISO 13485 standards) enables Molex to support development of innovative skin patches that improve lives. Explore the benefits of this evolving technology - contact us about customized smart skin patch solutions. We exhibiting in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023. Join us, 78 other exhibitors, 68 presenters and 600+ peers. Lets RESHAPE Electronics Together, making it Additive, Sustainable, Flexible, and Wearable. Explore now www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped

At the interface of soft materials and electronics. Highlights from the July 2023 edition Wearable monitor detects stress hormone levels across a full day Early warning signs of diseases caused by dysfunctional levels of stress hormones could be spotted more easily owing to a new wearable device developed by endocrine researchers in Europe. Award for stretchable, heat-conductive smart textile A soft, breathable and stretchable smart textile that warms up in 30 seconds with a 5V2A power bank has received the Excellence in Technology Adoption Special Award at the HKMA/HKT Global Innovation Award 2022/23. Patch uses nanomagnets to detect muscle movement Using nanomagnets composites and conductive yarn, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles have invented a smart textile that can sense and measure body movements, from muscles flexing to veins pulsing. To request a free sample of the July issue with the full stories, please email the address below with your company name and email address. Textile Media Services Ltd, UK Tel: +44 1603 308158 Email: info@textilemedia.com Web: textilemedia.com

Neil Chilton Technical Director With an increasingly large number of electronic additive-manufacturing processes available, it can be confusing to know which methods are applicable for your application. Printed Electronics Limited (PEL) is a manufacturer and product development company with very long experience printable electronics. PEL also represent some of the leading equipment manufacturers in the industry. In this short presentation we will provide some key pointers to assist in the choice of equipment and manufacturing approach.

Shailesh Patel | Senior Vice President Product Management Printed Energy, early-stage US based hard science company with deep expertise in electro chemistry, printed electronics, and manufacturing automation. The current focus is on flexible, printed, and thin batteries integrated into fully built-up circuits for a complete device such as active RFID. These batteries are non-toxic, environmentally friendly and can be manufactured in any shape and size based on customer requirements. Some of the applications include, smart tags and labels, wearables, medical supplies, tags for timed sporting events, and many other internet of things (IoT) uses. Even though Printed Energy is starting to enter the market, the team has been working on development of thin printed batteries for many years. The unique value that Printed Energy brings to its customer is the ability to manufacture fully integrated device that is cost competitive with coin-cell battery devices. Our proprietary manufacturing line allows us to enter the market and deliver high quality devices at a highly competitive price. Printed Energy’s initial product offering includes delivering disposable Active RFID tag solutions to an existing market with roadmap that includes Semi-Passive tags, temperature loggers and wearable cosmetic/medical patches.

Ravinder Dahiya | Professor,President,Fellow, Leader The miniaturization-based advances in electronics have revolutionized computing and communication. through high-performance planar electronics. However, electronics on planar and stiff substrates does not go well with several emerging applications (e.g., robots, wearables and vehicles, digital health etc.). These applications require electronics with high-performance (similar to the conventional silicon technology-based devices), flexible form-factors, and devices embedded in soft and squishy materials. The need for resource efficient manufacturing has also added new challenges to this field. This lecture will present some of the key technologies that are being explored to attain above features and their readiness for commercialisation. In particular, the talk will focus on high-mobility semiconducting nanostructures-based printed CMOS electronics. The methods for printing nano to cm scale structures (e.g., transfer printing, contact printing and direct-roll transfer printing etc.) will be presented along with the devices developed using them and future directions.

Gregory Berube | Director of Innovations Americas For decades, polymer thick-film (PTF) systems have provided a low-cost option for screen-printing simple electronic circuits, especially on temperature sensitive substrates. The ability to apply PTF pastes on a wide variety of substrates has facilitated numerous applications, for instance membrane touch-switch keypads, buss bars for touch screens, various types of sensors, and flexible circuitry. PTF is also commonly used in the rapidly emerging Printed Electronic market, where flexible, stretchable, durable materials are paramount to the success of these technologies. These pastes include silver pastes for conductors, carbon pastes for resistive applications, shielding and biosensors; silver-silver chloride pastes for glucose and other biosensors, and dielectric pastes. Carbon based PTF resistors are a low cost and easily scalable option for low temperature polymer-based heaters, especially since they may be printed on any type of surface. However, PTF heaters normally require complex control circuitry that add to the cost of the heater. Without these controls, the heater may overheat, resulting in injury or a fire. These types of risks are especially unacceptable in automotive applications, where occupant safety is paramount. However, it is possible to design a carbon paste that will print a resistor with the ability to self-regulate by dramatically increasing in resistance at and above the target operating temperature. This effect is called “positive temperature coefficient (of resistance),” or the PTC effect. Elimination of the control circuitry in PTC heaters results in lower cost and fewer potential failure modes. In our presentation, we will demonstrate a new line of self-regulating carbon resistor pastes that have target operating temperatures at approximately 60, 80, and 100oC. We will describe how the pastes are formulated, printed, and cured into a resistive trace. We will demonstrate how the sheet resistance can be tailored with blending allowing for more circuit design flexibility. Finally, we present data that will show the PTC effect and that the heater is self-regulating at the desired temperature while being robust against possible runaway conditions. These properties make the PTC heaters especially appropriate for in-cabin passenger comfort and other automotive low temperature heating applications.

Pradeep Lall | Professor & Director

Stefan Ernst | CEO The demand for printed sensors is constantly growing over the last few years. Of special importance for various industrial applications are force sensors. They measure stress or bending along one or more axis. Conventional sensors need a time consuming gluing process to mount the sensor onto the substrate. The force sensors from binder are printed directly onto the component where measuring is needed. For three dimensional or structured substrates pad printing is used. The challenge of this printing process is to apply a defined electrical resistor with high precision and reproducibility. The resistance can be adapted to typical conventional sensor values of 350 or 1kΩ. A typical line width is 80- 100 µm and a layer thickness of 8-15 µm. Normally a full bridge design is printed in order to compensate for thermal drifts. Different designs allow the customer to measure bending of the substrate, stress along an axis or torque. Typical K factors are between 2- 4 depending on the composition of the printing paste. To connect the sensor with the analysis unit a great variety of connection methods can be applied. A simple solution is conductive glue. Sensors on a copper basis can also be connected via a low temperature soldering process. Join us and the global community in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023. Lets RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Wearable, and 3D. Explore the programme here https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped

David Lafourcade | Business Development Manager Belink Solutions has capitalized a strong knowledge of high volume manufacturing capabilities in conventional electronics as well as screen printing solutions. We design and produce from POC to mass production, flexible, expandable electronics, as well as 2D and 3D printed electronics with components or even modules! We manage the complete manufacturing process from screen printing to the final 2D or 3D shape in-house! Join us and the global community in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023. Lets RESHAPE the Future of Electronics, making it Additive, Sustainable, Wearable, and 3D. Explore the programme here https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped