MCVE 3DFlaxtronics enables functional composites for printed electronics

Proof of concept made with biocomposite flax fibers, PA10-10 bio-sourced resin and thermoformed printed circuitry. Source | MCVE Technologie

MCVE Technologie (Augny, France) is launching 3DFlaxtronics, an in-mold electronics (IME) technology that can be applied to plastics and fiber-reinforced composite materials to produce functional films that provide electronic properties, enabling the production of antennas, electronic circuits, heating and more for industries like automotive, aeronautics, packaging, consumer electronics, medical and sports.

Specifically, 3DFlaxtronics is available for use in flax fiber organosheets with a bio-sourced PA 10-10 resin matrix. The process provides a large degree of freedom for integrating printed structures into bio-organosheet materials, thereby enabling the upscale of high-throughput mass production for conformable electronics.

3DFlaxtronics can be used to manufacture products like:

Haptic controls that enable interactive responses or invisible buttons.
Bio-conformable products that contain embedded sensors (temperature, pressure, etc.).
Buttons for vehicle interiors.
Creation of user interfaces for home appliances.

Notably, it is ideal for producing lighter, smaller, thinner and geometrically complex electronic components and parts. Not only does it reduce the complexity of products (i.e., fewer parts) and simplify the product assembly process, but 3DFlaxtronics is capable of increasing functionality, achieving more durable electronics (as they are embedded, protected) and enables greater freedom to design products with new shapes and functionalities. Using bio-sourced materials, 3DFlaxtronics can also meet sustainability requirements.

What is the 3DFlaxtronics process? Eoprom, an in-house copper-based formulation that promotes copper metal adhesion with an electrochemistry process, is additively deposited with electronic properties onto a 0.5-mm-thick flax organosheet reinforced with bio-sourced PA 10-10 resin. Electronic surface-mount device (SMD) components are then placed onto this functional material via pick-and-place equipment. Embedded into a top and bottom flax organosheet, the hybrid films can then be thermoformed to form 3D structures.