Wolfgang Käfer | Marquardt GmbH: What if you could screen print lights just as easily as you screen print conductive silver lines?
09:30 - 10:30
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Summary of the clip:
What if you could screen print lights just as easily as you screen print conductive silver lines?
Integrating lighting is essential for functional surfaces in applications like automotive interiors, providing crucial user feedback, status indication, and ambient decorative illumination. Traditional manufacturing methods require assembling individual Surface-Mount Technology (SMT) LEDs onto a circuit, a process that is complex, adds thickness, and is challenging to implement on flexible or 3D-formed parts.
This project showcases a revolutionary approach using screen-printable micro-LEDs. This disruptive technology formulates microscopic LED components into a paste that can be deposited using standard, high-throughput screen-printing equipment, just like a common conductive ink. In this demonstrator, this process was used to print both the lighting elements and the capacitive touch sensors onto the same flexible substrate in a single, streamlined workflow.
The fully printed functional foil, containing both sensors and lights, was then subjected to a high-pressure forming process and subsequently back-molded with plastic resin. This advanced manufacturing sequence integrates all the complex electronic functions into a single, seamless, and durable 3D part. The result is a highly functional and illuminated smart surface, demonstrating a more efficient and scalable manufacturing path for next-generation HMI components.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The challenges of integrating traditional SMT LEDs into 3D smart surfaces.
* The concept and application of screen-printable micro-LED technology.
* The full in-mold electronics (IME) process combining printed sensors and printed lights into one component.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Discover a cutting-edge method for creating illuminated smart surfaces by screen-printing micro-LEDs. This clip explains how this technology simplifies manufacturing by allowing lights and touch sensors to be printed simultaneously before being thermoformed and back-molded into a final 3D part.
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#ScreenPrintedLEDs, #MicroLEDPrinting, #PrintedSensors, #InMoldElectronics, #PrintedElectronics, #3DElectronics
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06:23 - 07:00
How can printed electronics solve a critical reliability problem that has nothing to do with the main circuit?
How can printed electronics solve a critical reliability problem that has nothing to do with the main circuit?
Modern automotive key fobs, especially those with electroplated, conductive surfaces, present a significant engineering challenge. These metallic surfaces create a high-risk path for electrostatic discharge (ESD) events, which can easily damage the sensitive internal electronics, leading to product failure and reliability issues. Protecting the core circuitry from these external electrical threats is a critical design requirement.
Marquardt's elegant solution involves pad printing conductive traces directly onto the internal surface of the key fob's housing. This printed circuit doesn't carry any operational signals for the key's functions. Instead, it is designed as a dedicated, robust pathway specifically to manage and redirect electrostatic discharge away from the main printed circuit board (PCB).
By connecting the external conductive keys to this printed trace, any ESD event is safely captured and guided away from the vulnerable electronic components. This is a clever, in-production use of printed electronics to enhance product robustness and reliability. It perfectly demonstrates that the technology's value extends beyond just creating primary circuits to solving complex system-level engineering problems.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The specific ESD challenge posed by conductive key fob surfaces.
* How pad printing is used to create a protective discharge path.
* A real-world, in-series example of printed electronics for enhancing product reliability.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Learn how Marquardt uses a simple pad printing process to create conductive traces for ESD protection in automotive key fobs. This in-production solution cleverly guides electrostatic discharge away from sensitive electronics, enhancing product robustness.
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#PadPrinting, #ConductiveTraces, #ESDProtection, #PrintedElectronics, #AutomotiveElectronics, #ProductReliability
08:20 - 09:30
Can you print a functional sensor, form it into a 3D shape, and mold it directly into a part to create a truly smart surface?
Can you print a functional sensor, form it into a 3D shape, and mold it directly into a part to create a truly smart surface?
In modern human-machine interfaces (HMIs), especially those incorporating active haptic feedback, simple capacitive touch sensing is often insufficient. Force sensing is a critical addition required to prevent false triggers from unintentional contact and to provide a distinct pressure point for activating haptic feedback. This creates a more intuitive, satisfying, and reliable user experience that mimics the feel of a mechanical button.
This project demonstrates a complete and advanced in-mold electronics (IME) process for creating a force-sensitive surface. The process begins by screen printing a functional PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) copolymer, a piezoelectric material that acts as the core sensing element. After printing, this layer is poled (polarized) with a high voltage field to activate its piezoelectric properties, making it capable of generating an electrical signal in response to pressure.
The activated sensor foil is then thermoformed into a complex three-dimensional shape and subsequently integrated into the final part via plastic injection back-molding. This seamless integration results in a durable, single-piece component with sophisticated force-sensing capabilities fully embedded within its structure. The clip showcases a powerful and scalable method for producing complex, multi-functional smart surfaces for next-generation products.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The critical need for force sensing in user interfaces with active haptics.
* The process of printing and activating a piezoelectric polymer (PVDF) sensor.
* How thermoforming and back-molding are used to integrate the printed sensor into a final 3D part.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip details a project on creating force-sensitive smart surfaces using printed electronics. It covers the printing of a piezoelectric PVDF copolymer, which is then polarized, thermoformed, and back-molded to fully integrate sensing into a 3D component.
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#InMoldElectronics, #PrintedPiezoelectricSensors, #PVDFCopolymer, #ThermoformingBackMolding, #3DElectronics, #HumanMachineInterface