Lightweighting, efficiency and ever greater integration of functionality is the name of the game for automotive engineers. Automotive Interiors Expo exhibitor Conductive Transfers ticks all these boxes with its range of advanced, printable electronics solutions, which are being demonstrated on the company’s booth.
First up are its printable seat heating elements. “These use a positive temperature coefficient ink, which means it is self-regulating,” explained the company’s commercial director, Mark Catchpole. “We also put a reflective layer into the stack of ink, with the whole element just 0.1mm thick.”
The element is printed onto a transfer sheet, which can then be heat pressed onto the seat material before the transfer is peeled off. The use of a reflective layer makes the heating element highly efficient, with its effect felt in a matter of seconds once turned on. “It is thin, light and very cost-effective,” highlighted Catchpole. The company has a thermal camera set up on its booth to visualize the rapid heating in action.
Pushing the bounds of printable technology even further, the company is also displaying its latest printable sensor. Available with both capacitive and resistive functions – developed in cooperation with Quantum Technology Super Sensors – these incorporate sensing elements within the printing stack. The potential use cases in interior applications are endless, with Conductive Transfers using a steering wheel with sensors applied to show how they can be used for HOD (hands-on driving) detection as part of ADAS integration.
Automotive Interiors Expo is the first show Catchpole and his team have attended for over two years. “Seeing real people once again is great. Giving them the opportunity to touch as well as see the product is wonderful.”
Conductive Transfers can be found on Booth A4527.
