Development and Washing Reliability Testing of a Stretchable Circuit on Knit Fabric

Applied Sciences

Tom Sterken¹  Paula Veske¹  Frederick Bossuyt¹  Pieter Bauwens¹  Jan Vanfleteren¹ 

[1] Centre for Microsystems Technology (CMST), Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) and Ghent University, Technologiepark 126, 9052 Gent, Belgium;

关键词: wearables;    packaging;    knitted-fabric structures;    e-textiles;    electronics;    washing reliability;   

DOI  :  10.3390/app10249057

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The smart textiles and wearable technology markets are expanding tirelessly, looking for efficient solutions to create long-lasting products. The research towards novel integration methods and increasing reliability of wearables and electronic textiles (e-textiles) is expanding. One obstacle to be tackled is the washability and the endurance to mechanical stresses in the washing machine. In this article, different layering of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films and knit fabrics are used to integrate three different designs of stretchable copper-based meander tracks with printed circuit boards. The various combinations are washed according to the ISO 6330-2012 standard to analyze their endurance. Results suggest that one meander design withstands more washing cycles and indicate that the well-selected layer compositions increase the reliability. Higher stretchability together with greater durability is accomplished by adding an extra meander-shaped TPU film layer.

【 授权许可】

Unknown