injection molded electronics: mass manufactured smart...
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Injection Molded Electronics:Mass Manufactured Smart Plastics
Dr. Antti Keränen
CTO, Co-Founder
TactoTek Oy
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IMSE – Injection Molded Structural Electronics
TactoTek IMSE building blocks
Printed electronics
Chip-based electronics
Injection moldedstructures
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Integrate printed circuitry and traditional electronic components inside of plastics
TactoTek Process Flow Overview
1.Print decoration
2. Print wiring, touch
controls, and antennas
4.Pre-form
5.In-mold smart
insert
3.Mount
components on flat film
Manufacturing flow
’Smart’ In-Mold Labeling (IML)
Representative Use Cases
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Rigid and flexible designs: wide range of molding materials including PC, ABS, PMMA, and TPUEncapsulated circuitry and electronics deliver design freedom and durability
3D HMI surfacesTactoTek ControlSurface™
Thin flexible wearables & Soft sensor components
Illumination & stylingTactoTek LightStripe™
Printed Electronics in IMSE
Touch controls—capacitive 1D buttons, 2D
sliders, 3D gesture control
Antennas—printed NFC, Bluetooth/WLAN
Proximity sensing
Circuitry—flexible circuitry and wiring
harness
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IMSE is perfect platform for integrating PrintedIntelligence into devices
• Printed elements within surface structure, not ”buried” to separate electronics board
Traditional Electronics in IMSE
Electronic Components
Illumination—single/multi-color indicators, ambient lighting, logo/branding, animate
Sensors—accelerometer, stress, impact, etc.
Integrated circuits (ICs)—MCUs (microcontroller units), BLE (bluetooth low energy), LED drivers etc.
In-mold circuit boards (PCB, FPC)
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Off-the-shelf components
• No need for expensive customization
Pin-to-film connections withstand thermoforming and injection molding
• Rigid components on flexible parts
Innovation Example: In-Mold Lighting
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Structure as light-guide (TactoTek patented)
• Very thin: down to <1mm
• No added light-guides/light pipes
• Indicators, logos, dynamic deco etc.
LED(s)
Illuminated area
Side view: Top view:
Clear Plastic
Design: Thin, light, 3D, bright and even illumination, new lighting designs
Manufacturing: Simple assembly–single functional element with LEDs and circuits
Durability/Protection: Circuitry and electronics encapsulated in molded plastic
Electronics film structure
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IMSE Example: Fully Integrated Control PanelTactoTek ControlSurface™ Demonstrator
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1) Recessed capacitive buttons
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4) Proximity sensing cover
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7) Printed graphics & effects
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8) 3 mm injection-molded plastic9) In-mold system electronics
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6) Recessed capacitive slider
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5) Hidden-until-lit icons
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3) TactoTek LightStripe™
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2) NFC
TCOTactoTek Benefits
Light weight—Reduces weight 50-70% Fewer parts, less plastic used
Design freedom—New feature/function possibilities
Durable and reliable—Shock and impact resistant, protected from moisture and debris
Scalable mass production—Standard equipment and known materials
Space efficient—Up to 90% less assembly depth
Simple assembly—30% savings from fewer parts and electrical connections
Fast product updates—Easy model-specific versioning; single component customization
Faster to service—Single part replacement reduces time up to 40%
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Selected Automotive IMSE Application Areas
MULTI-FUNCTION HEADLINER
SMART B-PILLAR e.g. KEYLESS ENTRY
SMART DOOR HANDLES e.g. KEYLESS ENTRY
ILLUMINATED VENTILATION TRIM PANELS AND CONTROLS
SMART STEERING WHEELMULTI-FUNCTION OVERHEAD CONTROL PANELS
MULTI-FUNCTION SEATBACKS
CURVED & FLUSH DESIGNED SMART CENTER CONSOLES
SOFT FABRIC SENSING e.g. SEAT SENSORS
RE-ARCHITECTED CONTROLS e.g. DOOR CONTROLS RELOCATED INTO DASH PANELS
SMART TAILGATES AND LIGHTING
Illumination & control solutions in curved decorative panels
Force and capacitive sensing integration for enhanced applications, preventing unintentional activations
Illumination adjustment
Design-to-Product in-house
• Product design according to progressing
design rules
• Immediate feedback from manufacturing
to design and between different steps
Holistic process handling
• Unprecedented inter-disciplinary know-
how from Materials to Molding and
between
Whole manufacturing chain in-house
• PoC and (Pilot) Production ensures
design viability
• Critical data for technology
transfer to customer/3rd party
Accelerating Design to Mass Manufacturing
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Design for Mass Manufacturing
PrintingSurface
MountingForming
Injection Molding
Method Maturity ScalablilityReadily Available
Capacity
Screen printing Very high Very high Very high
2D SMA Very high Very high Very high
Forming Very high Very high High
Injection Molding Very high Very high Very high
Combined (IMSE) Ready for MP High Easily Attainable*
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SCALABLE Manufacturing Methods
*IMSE scaling uses existing equipment NOT unique equipment
IMSE Environmental Testing Performance
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96%RH at 80C
-40°C to 80°C (96%RH) Cycle
1h
1h
1h1h
TactoTek Internal test example:• Tested device: TactoTek ControlSurfaceTM
demonstrator Two film structure All Electronics in-mold
• PASSES (Cap touch, lighting, VQ) e.g. -40…+80 cycling 85°C/85%RH 1000h
Customer product tests:• Several products under Automotive specific tests• Some products for wearable parts approved
Every IMSE product needs testing, different• Geometry• Materials• Electronics
But basic recipes and material combinations are ready for survival
Recognized leader in structural electronics
Founded in 2011
Core business: manufacturing and technology licensing of 3D smart inmolded electronics
Patented and patent pending manufacturing processes and applied uses
Design services to migrate traditional designs into structural electronics designs
Primary markets: Automotive, IoT, Wearables, Appliances, Medical Devices
TactoTek locationsOulu (HQ), Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan
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www.tactotek.com
Dr. Antti Keränen
CTO, Co-Founder
TactoTek Oy