FLEXIBLE ELECTRONICS
FEATURE
In-mold electronics gets human touch Montreal smart surface solution specialists work with NRC on 5G tech
BY RON HAAG, VP OF TECHNOLOGY & JULIE FERRIGNO, R&D ENGINEER, E2IP TECHNOLOGIES
What is in-mold electronics?
In Mold Electronics is becoming a common buzzword in the human machine interface (HMI) industry. Understanding the intricacies between the design and the process of producing a finished IME product is not that common, therefore a simplified explanation will help to understand the benefits of the technology.
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Industrial design
The IME design begins with the creation of a 3D surface via industrial design experts that have vision and intuition as to how a user interacts with a device. From touch, to lighting, to material selection and integration into its surrounding environment, all these attributes go into creating the desired look and feel. This makes surfaces smarter to simplify our everyday lives.
Engineering
Once the part is designed in a CAD model stage, the design is recreated in a 2D format. This is the point where the engineer(s) will step in and utilize electronic skills, printed electronic expertise, connector methods, and lighting techniques combined with printing techniques to create a sophisticated version of a circuit board on a thin plastic film substrate utilizing specialized formable conductive and non-conductive inks.
ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY / June/July 2021
Molding is the final process, where resin is injected between the films to encapsulate all of the components.
Manufacturing
When the circuit and graphic designs are completed the actual manufacturing processing steps begin. The first process step is the printing phase which requires understanding the ink chemistries and print layer stack-ups. In some cases, the overall print stackup is completed on a single film and in others two films are used. The second process step includes the pick-and-place of components required to add LED’s, passive components and in some cases microprocessor capabilities. It should be noted that depending on the types of ink used, the pick-and-place step could move to a later point in the process. The third process step converts the flat printed sheet to its intended 3D user interface shape. All inks along with the components on the film end up being positioned exactly where intended in the final shape of the part. Typical thermoforming methods include high pressure forming and in some cases vacuum forming. The films are trimmed, sometimes before molding and sometimes after molding, and the circuits are function checked. Molding is the final process consisting of placing the formed films in a mold, where the resin is injected between the films to encapsulate all the components. EPT.CA
Photo: e2ip Technologies
As printed electronics become integrated into industrial and commercial products and solutions, the term ‘printed electronics’ is now mainstream. While leveraging printed electronics, e2ip technologies, has been working in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to advance the material science and manufacturing of In-Mold Electronics and with the Communication Research Center of Canada (CRC) to develop it’s 5G smart surface technologies. This article offers an overview of these technologies.
