Johannes Schad | PolyIC/Kurz: Can printed metal mesh actually outperform conventional ITO in flexible touch sensors?
06:24 - 07:41
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Summary of the clip:
Can printed metal mesh actually outperform conventional ITO in flexible touch sensors?
Transparent conductive films have long relied on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), but brittle physical properties and high sheet resistance limit its application in curved or highly responsive displays. Johannes Schad introduces PolyIC’s high-precision metal mesh sensor technology, which utilizes highly conductive bulk silver printed in ultra-fine lines of just 8 to 10 micrometers. This fine-line geometry remains virtually invisible to the naked eye while offering a dramatic upgrade in electrical performance.
By shifting from ITO to bulk silver, these sensors achieve an electrical conductivity that is four to five times higher. This superior conductivity allows for rapid touch response times and larger active sensor areas without signal degradation. The silver mesh is patterned directly onto a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) substrate, resulting in an incredibly thin, robust, and mechanically flexible touch sensor that easily conforms to modern 3D-curved surfaces.
Importantly, manufacturing is optimized through high-speed, roll-to-roll mass production based in Germany. This automated, low-labor approach offsets regional labor costs, making the highly conductive, flexible silver metal mesh a commercially viable and high-performance alternative to traditional ITO coatings.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Why ultra-fine silver lines of 8-10 micrometers remain invisible to the human eye while maintaining high light transmittance.
* How bulk silver mesh delivers four to five times the electrical conductivity of standard Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) layers.
* The manufacturing advantages of utilizing roll-to-roll printing on thin, flexible PET substrates to produce highly robust touch sensors.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip details PolyIC's proprietary metal mesh sensor technology, which prints ultra-fine bulk silver lines on flexible PET substrates. By achieving conductivity four to five times higher than ITO, these thin-film sensors offer superior touch response and mechanical flexibility for advanced display integration.
#SilverMetalMesh, #RollToRollPrinting, #FlexibleTouchSensors, #TransparentConductiveFilms, #PrintedElectronics, #FlexibleDisplays
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10:52 - 11:48
Why laminate multiple sensor layers when you can print multi-touch on a single surface?
Why laminate multiple sensor layers when you can print multi-touch on a single surface?
Traditional capacitive touchscreens require separate physical layers for X and Y coordinate tracking, typically separated by an Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA) layer. This multi-layer architecture demands extremely precise alignment during lamination, which drives up production costs, introduces optical interfaces, and increases the failure rate in manufacturing. Johannes Schad reveals how PolyIC bypasses this entire complexity using a patented single-layer design.
By printing both the X and Y electrodes on a single substrate surface, the technology eliminates the need for intermediate OCA and complex multi-sheet lamination. The necessary electrical interconnections are routed directly on the non-active deadband area of the sensor. This elegant layout retains full mutual capacitance multi-touch and gesture capabilities equivalent to modern smartphone standards.
Furthermore, the printing process is so advanced that the connection tail is integrated directly into the primary print run. This eliminates the secondary, high-risk assembly step of bonding a separate flexible printed circuit (FPC) tail, streamlining the supply chain and significantly improving mechanical reliability at the connection interface.
In this short video, you can learn:
* How printing both X and Y coordinate electrodes on a single substrate surface eliminates costly and error-prone multi-layer lamination.
* The design layout that enables full mutual capacitance multi-touch and gesture controls without sacrificing optical clarity.
* Why integrating the connection tail directly into the printing process eliminates the need for separate FPC tail bonding.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip showcases PolyIC's patented single-layer multi-touch sensor design that prints both X and Y electrodes on one surface. By eliminating multi-layer lamination and integrating the connection tail directly into the print process, this technology reduces manufacturing complexity and enhances sensor reliability.
#SingleLayerTouch, #MutualCapacitance, #IntegratedConnectionTail, #AdditiveElectronics, #PrintedElectronics, #FlexibleTouchSensors
11:52 - 14:15
Can a single "platform" touch sensor be customized on-demand using laser engraving?
How can printed electronics manufacturers reconcile the demand for high-resolution, illuminated user interfaces with the logistical nightmare of maintaining dozens of product-specific sensor SKUs?
Integrating optical diffusion films directly into capacitive touch sensor stacks is a major step forward in optoelectronic packaging. Consolidating the touch-sensing layer with a specialized diffusion medium eliminates the hot-spotting and harsh glare of point-source LEDs. This integrated architecture ensures homogeneous light distribution across illuminated icons, streamlining the optical stack and reducing assembly complexity for back-lit HMIs.
To complement this, a non-conductive, light-blocking black decoration layer is applied directly to the sensor assembly. This formulation maintains strict dielectric properties to prevent interference with the capacitive touch sensors, while remaining highly receptive to laser ablation. Using standard fiber laser systems, manufacturers can pattern high-resolution symbols directly through this opaque layer with exceptional precision, bypassing traditional screen-printing or photolithographic limitations.
This material stack enables an efficient "late-stage customization" manufacturing model. Instead of sourcing unique sensors for every product variation, language, or brand, OEMs can deploy a single, standardized platform sensor across multiple product lines. This platform sensor can be individualized on-demand via offline laser patterning during final assembly, allowing a single component to serve different brands, regional languages, or distinct appliances like washing machines and dryers.
In this short video, you can learn:
* How integrating diffusion films directly into touch sensor stacks eliminates LED hot-spotting for homogeneous icon illumination.
* The role of laserable, non-conductive black decoration films in achieving high-resolution, interference-free HMI patterning.
* How to leverage platform sensors and offline laser ablation to enable late-stage product customization and reduce SKU complexity.
📋 **Clip Abstract** The speaker introduces PolyTC Variosim, a technology that integrates touch sensors directly with optical diffusion films and a laserable, non-conductive black decoration layer. He explains how this platform sensor allows customers to use fiber lasers for late-stage customization, enabling a single sensor design to be individualized for different brands, languages, and appliances on demand.
🎤 Speaker: Johannes Schad
🏢 Company: PolyIC/Kurz
📅 Event: The Future of Electronics RESHAPED 2023 Berlin
📍 Location: Estrel Congress Centre, Berlin, Germany, Europe
🌐 Learn more at the next TechBlick event: https://www.techblick.com
#LaserPatterning, #OpticalDiffusion, #PlatformSensors, #LaserRebelFilm, #PrintedElectronics, #HumanMachineInterface