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! Leader and innovator in the growing $48 billion global electronics marketplace! One of the highest reinvestment rates in the industry! Sell more than 100,000 products! 45 manufacturing locations in 17 countries! Dedicated team of approximately 41,500! Molex was acquired by Koch Industries in 2013 to build a global electronics platform! Soligie acquired by Molex in 2015 to strength the Printed Electronics offerings 2
! Many potential advantages, application specific Putting electronics where they were not possible before New, highly differentiated products Form factor improvements Conformal and/or flexible Weight & space reduction Increased comfort Increased ruggedness Bend but don t break Cost reduction New ways to think about electronics at the system level 3
! Genesis of PE: the membrane switch industry, electroluminescent lighting and PCB industry Flatbed screen printing Silver, carbon, dielectric materials 4
! Convergence of new materials, components and manufacturing methods Materials Improved conductors (Ag, carbon, polymers, carbon nanotubes, graphene) Dielectrics (UV cure, thermal cure, high/low k) Semiconductors (small organic molecules, polymers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, printable inorganic materials Si, ZnO) Specialty materials (batteries, displays, memory, transistors) Additive manufacturing of Electronics Screen printing, rotary screen, flexo, gravure, direct write (ink jet, aerosol jet, dispense) Printable sensors, displays, batteries, memory, transistors 5
! A few examples Batteries Transistors Blue Spark Display E Ink Temperature Sensor PragmatIc Printing Pressure Sensor PST Sensors Memory Molex Thinfilm Electronics 6
! A related & complimentary approach to PE Print what you can, attach what you must! Achieve a high level of functionality while also retaining flexibility 7
! Markets Medical, Health, Wellness Security & Logistics Automotive Industrial & Building Automation Military! Platform of capabilities is needed Sensing Wired & wireless communication Data management & storage Analytics 8
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Technology Choices Customer Needs Display: E Ink LCD LEDs ucontroller Epson TI ASI Power: Li battery C/Zn battery Supercap Sensor types: Temperature Humidity Pressure Vibration Shock Glucose Lactate Methane Nitric Oxide Wireless: Bluetooth NFC WiFi Energy harvesting: Solar Thermal RF Custom Commercial Products 10
! Low power electronics Continuous improvement in microcontrollers Printed sensors/sensor arrays Resistance based low power: temperature, pressure! Long range wireless communication Bluetooth LE New protocols: LoRa, Sigfox! Energy harvesting Photovoltaic RF Thermal
! Goals: Reduce labor, improve accuracy, increase revenue! Robust pressure sensor technology Designed for presence detection Design allows detection of 20 gram objects Product Guide Shelf Circuit Board Sensor Resistance (kω) Mass (g) 12
! Remote Readiness Asset Prognostic/Diagnostic System (RRAPDS) Existing device measures temperature, humidity, vibration & shock Designed for Excalibur round Not easily adapted to other munitions (hellfire, patriot, etc.) Expensive
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! RRAPDS program accomplishments Evaluated original device, gained understanding of performance Modified circuit design Six layer circuit with double-sided component attach to two layer circuit with single sided component attach Fabricated two layer circuit using PCB, copper flex & silver flex Verified circuit functionality per requirements! Ongoing work Environmental & mechanical testing Packaging design Overall assembly design including cable
! RRAPDS program Picture of copper flex circuit mounted inside container
Funded by FlexTech Alliance/ARL Agreement # W911NF-10-3-0001! Goal: Develop and demonstrate a flexible and adaptable sensor platform Reusable Portion Changeable/Disposable Portion Sensor Array #1 Sensor Array #2 Rectification + Energy Harvesting Rechargeable Battery µc Display Number Value
! Analysis Printed base circuit Printed temperature and pressure sensors Printed & rechargeable battery Printed antenna Flexible segmented display Traditional packaged microcontroller and multiplexer! Approach Flexible Hybrid System Design sensor platform architecture in-house Partner with battery and temperature sensor companies to optimize component designs for the applications Integrate components and test
! Work effort Cycles of learning on sensor platform architecture Interaction between sensors, power requirements, microcontroller, display, etc. Selection of components Verification of performance Testing & optimization of battery charging circuit Microcontroller/ display driver programing Battery optimization Temperature and pressure sensor fabrication and optimization Integration of all circuit elements Performance verification
! Result Energy harvesting from 13.56 MHz RF field Recharging of batteries Measures temperature, level of fill Displays value on flexible display Connector Antenna µcontroller Batteries Display
! Printed Electronics and Flexible Hybrid Systems offer many benefits Differentiated products Improved form factor leading to better use of space, reduced weight and comfort Enhanced ruggedness for applications where bend/flex is needed! Molex uses a collaborative approach to work with customers and develop system level solutions Understand use scenarios and functional requirements Select appropriate technologies Manufacture products! Printed Electronics capabilities complimented by copper flex, PCBA, connectors and cabling products Enables Molex to provide a comprehensive solution
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Roll-to-roll printing Roll-to-roll Cu plating Roll-to-roll assembly Sheet based printing Roll-to-roll and sheet based manufacturing Functional printing Copper plating Circuit assembly Converting/finishing Roll-to-roll converting