Production of highly elastic metallised fibres as the basic building block for textile-based electronic components by continuous LASER and electrochemical structuring of metallised monofilaments
The increasingly complex functionalization of textiles by predominantly electronic components demands a rethink about construction, manufacture and integration. In the long run, this development can only succeed if the fibre itself becomes an essential component of the electronics.In principle, the development should take two directions:
- Threads and textiles must themselves become the bearers of electrical functions
- Electronic components must conform to the properties of the thread or textile
The goal of the entireLaserTex project:
The manufacture of elastic, electrically conductive yarns and fibres, over the course of the project turning them into electrically functional textiles.
As part of the Thuringian Smarter Faden (024-2009) study for the Thuringian Ministry of Culture and the Thuringian Ministry for the Economy, Employment and Technology,concepts for electronic components on structured threads and thread-shaped microsystems have already been developed.In this the focus of attention is not on adapted systems but on textile-based systems.In order to be able to construct these types of systems on threads and ultimately develop efficient production technologies, it is necessary first to develop structured fibres, filaments, threads and yarns.
For the preferred ideas, which arenot yet covered by patents or little affected by them, the surfaces of threads and filaments in the area of just a few micrometres up to the 100 nanometre area must be structured. There are ultimately two principal approaches to this.
- The development of a LASER-structured or electrochemically structured thread as the base structure for thread-based electronics.
- The development of a selective electroless metallisation of bicomponent fibres that subsequentlyundergo galvanic and electrochemical treatment
These two approaches are the subject of research and development work in this collaborative project.