Inducing Dynamic Percolation of Stretchable Printed Wires During Three-dimensional Forming

The electrical conductivity control of stretchable printed wires during vacuum forming was investigated to determine the material and process design for in-mold electronics (IME) packaging. Conventional IME packaging faces the challenge of suppressing the increase in electrical resistance of the wires due to tensile deformation. This work proposes a novel concept of inducing dynamic percolation of the wires during vacuum forming. The cooling and tensile deformation can improve the electrical conductivity during forming. In addition, the binder chemistry influences the improvement of electrical conductivity. This concept will help to control the electrical conductivity of in-mold 3D electrical circuits.