Pressure sensors

Printed pressure sensors are used in numerous industries, such as automotive (e.g., seat occupancy detection), medical technology (e.g., pressure distribution measurement), packaging and logistics solutions (e.g., tamper detection), industrial automation, and consumer electronics. They are particularly suitable for applications where conventional sensor technology is too large, too heavy, or too cost-intensive.

Thanks to the additive manufacturing approach, printed sensors offer a high degree of design freedom, low installation height, flexible form factors and the potential for integration into existing or newly developed carrier materials. Other advantages include low weight, large-scale manufacturability, low material costs and the possibility of series production using a roll-to-roll process. [...]

Functional inks based on silver, carbon, PEDOT:PSS, or other conductive polymers are used. Flexible film materials such as PET, PEN, or thermoplastic elastomers (e.g., TPU) are typically employed as substrates. The sensor layer structure is customized for each application with respect to sensitivity, linearity, and mechanical durability.

With proper design and adapted material selection, printed pressure sensors achieve high repeatability and long-term stability. Cyclic load tests demonstrate that the sensors continue to deliver reproducible results even after several hundred thousand load cycles. Temperature behavior, drift characteristics, and aging resistance can be optimized for specific applications through targeted material and structural design. [...]

A printed pressure sensor is a sensor component that is applied to flexible or rigid substrates using industrial printing processes such as screen printing, inkjet printing or roll-to-roll printing. It detects mechanical pressure and emits a corresponding electrical signal. Printed sensors enable flat, cost-efficient and material-saving integration into a wide range of system environments. [...]