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