Materials and Processes for High Volume Integration of Stretchable Circuits into E-Textiles
Abstract
This presentation will give a summary of the work done by ACI Materials Inc. and DuraTech Industries over the first 15 months of Flextech project AF61-24-221, “Optimization of Materials and Processes for High Volume Integration of Stretchable Circuits into E-Textiles.” The primary goal of the project is to advance the technological and manufacturing readiness of processes and materials used for integrating screen printed stretchable circuits into e-textiles. Currently a two-step heat transfer process is what is being used for integration of printed stretchable circuits, but this semi-additive approach is labor intensive and large areas of expensive polyurethane/hot melt adhesive/release film materials are wasted. The single step heat transfer process being used by the project team is fully additive, less wasteful, less labor intensive, and will enable lower manufacturing costs. It should permit US based manufacture of durable e-textiles, heaters, and wearable sensors whereas with a two-step process it is very hard for US companies to compete with low labor costs competitors in Asia. Highlights will be shown of the test circuit structures produced, electromechanical and environmental testing, and work developing a wearable human monitoring demonstration device.
Biography
‘Mike’ has spent his entire 20+ year career working with printable electronically functional materials and additive manufacturing methods for FHE devices including: formulation, conventional printing, direct write printing, equilibrium and non-equilibrium curing methods, and application development. Along with his management duties at ACI, he’s still active in formulating materials. In 2019 he invented ACI’s Alchemy series semi-sinterable conductive inks which enable fully additive high-volume manufacture of flexible hybrid circuits on PET films using low temperature solder-based SMD attach.
Prior to joining ACI in 2018, he spent two years at NextFlex managing their printing/direct write programs, and overseeing material selection and integration into devices. From 2013-2016 he worked for NovaCentrix after they acquired PChem Associates, the unique low temperature, ultra-fast sintering nanoparticle ink company he co-founded in 2004. He started his career at Parelec Inc., pioneers of particle-metalorganic decomposition (ParMOD) inks, developing materials for the DARPA MICE program.
He has received an IPC Distinguished Committee Service award for his contributions PE/FHE standards and is a NextFlex fellow. Mike holds a M.S degree in chemical engineering from The Pennsylvania State University where his research on synthesis of surfactant stabilized nanoparticles was awarded a 2000 Materials Research Institute Xerox Research Award.