Printed Heaters

Printed heaters can be described as heating elements that have been screen printed on flexible materials. They are designed to heat a product. Precision screen printing allows you to print resistive or conductive inks on a flexible material such as active carbon or silver. These inks can be tailored to meet specific requirements or needs for printed heaters.

Print heaters could even eliminate the need for heating cores in vehicles. The heaters are self-regulating, which means they can heat up to the desired temperature and keep it there. Imagine every passenger in a vehicle being capable of setting their own temperature. Print heaters offer this option. Instead of heating the whole vehicle to the same temperature, each passenger can set their own heat settings.

The heat produced by a standard car comes from the heated air being forced out of its engine. Electric Vehicles (EVs), however, don’t generate heat from the electricity they use to power them. These vehicles must find another source of heat. Electric vehicles must locate a light source of heat. The heavier the heating core, the faster the vehicle will lose its batteries.

Printed electronics are starting to be used for heating car interiors and they can be easily integrated into the sitting and backrest components of a car seat, as well as other areas such as the steering wheel and armrest. Since the printed elements only heat the surfaces that are in close proximity to the body, energy consumption is significantly reduced. And compared to traditional seat heating systems, printed electronics are thinner and lighter, meaning less padding and foam are required and they heat up considerably faster.

Printed heating elements have a positive temperature coefficient (PTC), meaning that safety is built-in, i.e., their resistance increases as temperature rises. In fact, above a certain temperature, this occurs extremely rapidly, enabling the maximum physical temperature limit to be set by the system designer.

Refer to InnovationLab: Printed heat elements for car seats.

Carbon Fiber Seat Heaters Slipping right over your existing car seats, our heated custom seat covers are a quick and easy way to affordably add the luxury of heated seats with a custom built-in look. Parallel heating fibers ensure long life and dependability. With conventional seat heaters, any abuse that breaks the heating wire shuts off the entire heater; the same abuse with our carbon fiber seat heaters would only render a small portion of our heater inoperative so the driver will still be cozy and warm. Ultra-thin carbon fibers mean no bulky and uncomfortable wires.

Refer to https://www.wetokole.com/Heater.html.

Model 3/Y Seat Adjustment Wireless Remote-Control Button that you can keep in your hands or install the button at any place on your car, then you can control it anytime. It can be used to adjust the passenger seat fore and aft movement, seat backrest fore and aft tilt angle, seat heating, and simple Plug & Play installation.

TI / Texas Instruments automotive controlled-heating element such as seat heating. The design consists of a main board and heating element, which represents the resistive heating component found in automotive seat heaters, demonstrating the ability to independently control the temperature of each seat as well as provide diagnostics and protection to account for fault events. To do this, the system utilizes the TPS1HA08-Q1 device, which is used to provide current, diagnostics, and protection to the automotive seat heater.

SoftSurface® Heater is based on printed electronics technology and comes in two variants – the first is a printed silver-based heater that offers a number of advantages over traditional wire-based heaters, while the second variant combines printed silver electrodes with a printed carbon ink layer that features a strong PTC effect. This makes the product incredibly safe, as it can no longer overheat on its own. Optionally, instead of a standard NTC sensor, a printed NTC sensor based on patented NTCSense® technology can be integrated into both variants, providing reliable temperature detection and deviations on the whole surface of the heater.

Their technology application is cost-effective,  with improved temperature detection, efficiency, and safety. Base specifications can be reviewed by Clicking https://www.thermaltech.at/.

A few key advantages of Printed Heaters are listed below:

1. Reduction in materials and processing steps.
2. Circuitry printed directly on the B side of artificial leather or leather.
3. Additive manufacturing techniques utilized for the printing of circuitry.
4. R2R capabilities for high-volume manufacturing.
5. Surface Mount Components.
6. Components mounted onto traces with conductive epoxy.
7. Eliminates the need for circuit boards and copper flexes.
8. Multiple innovative technologies on one surface.
9. Printed interconnects, Sensors & LEDs with Surface Mount Electronic Components.

Over the last five years working on multiple solutions for Printed Heaters over the Industry Standard Wire Heaters. Target is:

1. More Uniform and faster heating.
2. Lower power consumption.
3. Higher product reliability.
4. Option for Occupancy detection and more directed heating.

Below are few solutions recently developed:

DuPont Ink Printing:

Single print of PE874 without dielectric overprint is hitting target resistance very consistently, and ageing well.

Considering we are stretching the size limits of our printer, prints are fairly uniform and as a result, heating is uniform over the powered areas. Uniformity of heating is expected to improve on when units are printed on industrial, large size printers.

Some evidence of squeegee out of level on bottom heaters. Some legs of outermost trace are running hotter than others. This is a print issue that would be corrected on production scale equipment.

Very little parasitic heating in the connection pads.

• Heater 87W @ 12V
• 3 electrically separate heating circuits.
• Each circuit produces the same power per unit area (0.094W/cm2), so surface temperatures are consistent throughout.

Below are test results which clearly indicates heating uniformity.

DYCO TECH Printed Heater:

 

1. More Uniform Heating Across Seat Pad
2. Time to Heat From -20C to 45C Under 3 Minutes
3. Voltage 13.2v / Current Under 6A.
4. Higher Process Reliability
5. Running current < 4.5A after Heating to 42C
6. Time to Heat From -20C to 45C Under 3 Minutes
7. Voltage 13.2v / Current Under 6A.
8. Higher Process Reliability
9. Fast to market Design & Validation.

Basic Printed Heater Design parameters are:

• Stretchable paste to withstand the strain
• Substrate possibilities; Textile, TPU, PET
• Screen Printing Process.
• For low volume resistivity drop over busbar use Copper busbar
• For durability product must cycle through temperatures of -20C when cold to +45C when warm.
• During life-cycle minimal as defined carbon change in conductivity
• Resistance of busbar not to affect performance.

DYCOTECH PRINTED HEATER DESIGN FOR SOJOY

Heater Construction:

1. TPU – 100 um
2. Dielectric – non-thermally conductive
3. C/Ag stretchable paste at 1 ohm/sq/25 um – DM-CAP-1060 + DM-SIP-2002 variant, Cu bas bar attach. Ask AM to do work.
4. Dielectric – heat spreader
5. TPU – 100 um

Busbar Connection Design:

1. Conductive adhesive – to lower contact resistance,10030-ST
2. 10 mm copper strip
3. Laminate
4. leave exposed area for rivet/cable connection
5. Laminate with rigidiser @ edge connector, stop copper wrinkling

THERMO-TECH Printed Heater:

Wireless Printed Heating Pad for Automotive, Outdoor Seating & Other Activities

Design HMI working with SOJOY and Liquid-X designed Wireless Seat Heating Pad both for in vehicle application as well as other applications like heating pad for attending outside events during winters – like Football Games, Fishing, Outdoor Concerts and Picnics.

Lightweight Wireless Heating Pad with Bluetooth connectivity and Antimicrobial coating to kill micro-germs.

 

2-Piece Heater Pad: Back and Cushion: Heat pad essentially designed for outside use where seats will not have any cushion. So, provides both heating in winter and cushion support. In summer with PCM Integrated will help match body temperature to cushion for comfort.

Remaining seated quietly for long periods does not need to be a chilling experience. Keeping your movements to a minimum on cold mornings can send a shiver through even the most seasoned hunter. Remove that concern by adding the warming comfort of a heated seat to your tree stand or ground blind.

Battery operated / Use in tree stand or ground blind / Carry handle / Works for early or late-season fishing / Great for any outdoor sporting event

For In-Vehicle Applications Flexible Heating Pad Cover: This can be draped over car seat or any seat w/cushion. Instead of foam will have insulator layer to direct heat to the Back & Cushion Area. Will still have all other functional wireless features.

Design Specifications:

1. Liquid X proprietary, particle-free silver ink printed directly on fabric.
2. Anti-Microbial Coating to kill germs.
3. Components mounted onto traces with conductive epoxy – no PCBA needed.
4. Encapsulant printed directly over Ag traces for additional protection.
5. Fast time to heat < 3.5 minutes from -20C to 40C.
6. 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery.
7. Three (3) LED indicator lights to signify Temperature Settings – hi/med/lo.
8. Bluetooth Connectivity through smart phone – Adjustment of Hi/Med/Lo/Off settings.
9. 12V charging port utilizing Class C wall charger for recharging of battery.
10. Cell phone holder complete with 5V charging port for cell phone charging capability.
11. Synthetic Breathable Leather Finish.
12. Pressure sensors for occupancy detection and individual control of zoned heating elements.
13. Lightweight foam.
14. Water Resistant heating circuits.
15. Fire retardant materials.
16. Pressure sensors for occupancy detection and individual control of zoned heating elements.
17. Phase Change Material integrated to balance seat & and body temperature on hot day.

Technology & Design Particulars:

Conformal coating of liquid x ink in the fabric for protection against dust, moisture and humidity, mold and mildew, extreme temperatures, particulate contamination, and mechanical stress.

Printed heater heaters lay flat and have a profile that is highly conformal. Printed heater using the same input power gives better results than a wire heater due to lower thermal resistance between circuit and fabric and more uniform heat transfer.

The design is to heat seat back and bottom both within 2 minutes from -20C to 42C or lower temperature if desired by the customer. Phase Change Material will be imbedded into the leather rear for more uniform distribution of heat from Printed Heater and help maintain uniformity in body temperature even when Printed Heater is OFF.

Business Case:

Current standard aftermarket automotive heating pads offer only the most basic feature. They are not easy to integrate with clumsy connection to in-vehicle power point and heating quality varies.

Not designed for outside seating especially considering current Health & Wellness customer wants. The target for Design HMI is to develop a value heater pad that comes in two functional styles as shown above:

Key features for both will be printed synthetic leather with micro holes for free flow of air. PCM lamination on B side followed with printed heater circuit on Non-Woven Polyester Fabric. Wireless controller with rechargeable battery pack and USB outlet to charge your smart phone if needed.

Target Sale Price:                $89.99

Time to Market:                   November 2020.

Wireless Warm Vests w/Antimicrobial Coating for Health & Wellness:

Other Application Design being investigated is for Wireless Printed Heater Designs as shown here are also ready to get market input.

All Vests with:

1. ON / OFF button with Temperature control for 30C and 42C.
2. Nylon but breathable vest with PCM material lining.
3. Rechargeable Battery power for minimum 3 hour usage.
4. Wireless cell phone charging pocket.
5. 4 outer pockets and two inner pockets.
6. Printable monogram on top pocket.
7. Printed Heater inside in front and rear.
8. Printed Heater side pockets to keep pockets warm.
9. Rear ambient lighting for safety when needed – like running or biking.
10. Lightweight.

Specifications: Wireless battery powered which can be an undergarment that will provide warmth – assume temperature rise to 35C from extreme cold of -20C in under 3 minutes.

• Track length: 214mm.
• Heater film sample size: 335mm x 226mm
• Voltage: 7.4V.
• Power: 18W
• Energy capacity: 10,000mAh
• Duration: 120 min
• Average power density: 250 W/m2
• Track power density: 1000 W/m2
• Sheet resistance: 1.6 ohm/square
• Temperature increase: 25℃ to 55 ℃ (5 min) quality vest
• Battery power for 2-hour battery life.

For more information contact bbedi@designhmi.com

SMART HEATING FABRICS FOR HEATING PADS

Current design heating pads using wire heaters stitched to non-woven fabric for heating is inefficient and heating uniformity is poor. Design HMI has been investigating solutions and below listing a few.

LIQUID-X is utilizing its proprietary, particle-free ink as the enabling technology for the development of electronically integrated textile (e-textile) devices.

Through additive manufacturing techniques, Liquid X’s particle-free ink is deposited directly onto the fabric, conformally coating the fibers of the fabric to create highly conductive traces, enabling cost-effective, durable solutions for textile-based products while maintaining the integrity of the base fabric material.

Product & Process Advantages:

1. Ink deposited directly on fabric minimizes processing steps.
2. Integrates directly into proven and trusted coating process (inkjet printing) for textile industry.
3. Liquid X’s proprietary particle-free ink acts as a dye on the fabric, conformally coating the fabric fibers.
4. Bendable – tested up to 10,000 bend cycles in accordance with ASTM D522 *.
5. Stretchable up to 180%.
6. Washable … tested up to 100 cycles.
7. Protective coatings and dielectrics available for added protection.
8. Hardware mounted directly onto the conductive trace using epoxy, solder paste, snaps, etc.
9. Maintains integrity of fabric (softness, breathability, etc.)

 

For more information CLICK http://www.liquid-x.com/e-textiles/

LOOMIA makes a new form-factor of circuit – a soft circuit system- that can be used to power soft goods. From automotive to apparel, our soft circuit systems can be used when standard PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) are not up to the task- bringing heating, lighting, and sensing to car seats, medical apparel, outdoor gear, and more. The heating LEL is drawable, bendable, fully customizable, and thin. It is easy to integrate into any textile product with easy sewing or bonding methods. No need for new machinery.

Few Characteristics:

1. Thin, Flexible and Drapable
2. Can be customized for shape, size, power, performance requirements
3. Excellent water resistance
4. Easy integration with sew tabs or bonding options
5. Adjustable temperature and heat dispersion options
6. No wire bulk with LOOMIA’s patented flat wire technology
7. Machine washable with acceptable degradation up to 15 cycles at cold wash, tumble dry low.

Potential applications include:

1. Soft Seat heating
2. Soft Wiring, Lighting, and sensors in Roof Liners
3. Headrest Graphic Lighting
4. Seamless user interfaces / soft control surfaces
5. Automotive seat sensing for safety and comfort.
6. Steering Wheel Sensing

 

The LEL Heating System is soft, droppable, bendable, fully customizable, and thin. The LEL Heating panel can be integrated under any textile while maintaining the comfortable soft form factor. It is easy to integrate into any textile product with easy sewing or bonding methods. Customization options include size, shape, power requirements, temperature reached, designated heated areas and electrical connection to fit your product needs. The LEL Heating System has been FCC certified for a back-heating application and certification services are available based on customer needs.

For more information CLICK https://www.loomia.com/.

LITEX Non- Carbon Fiber Electrical Heating Textile innovated the Conductive Metal Yarn (CMY). This is a new generation electric conductive yarn with flexible qualities that allows for various applications. Such technology is achieved by essentially coiling micro thin metal foil covering over a traditional polymer yarn core (see picture above) in a helical fashion.

They can simultaneously manufacture up to eight strands of coiled metal covering yarn with both helical metal plating covering at the same time. This  construction allows them to have a textile characteristic micro-conductive yarn that is flexible while being tough in resisting physical wear. The coiled metal covering yarn can be very fine (0.27 mm diameter in present commercial grade). Further enhancements in conductivity, strength, and thermal resistance can be made according to need.

Conductive yarn capable of withstanding dyeing, finishing, and washing by Heating Textile is a new generation electrical heating system which is specially designed for mobile heating, energy saving and safety orientated requirements with DC power. The Ultra Heating Fabric adopts an advanced smart textile technology. A patented Metal Conductive Yarn is introduced to the Fabric. The conductive yarn is very fine (the most fineness can go to 0.27 mm diameter in present commercial grade) and strong. The conductive yarn can be easily enhanced in conductivity, strength, and thermal resistance in our advanced design system to meet customer requirements. The metal conductive yarn is perfectly integrated with the Fabric by textile  processes. Hence, the Heating Textile is superior soft, light, thin and strong. The most importance is the Textile can relate to connector or cable by traditional electrical skills.

Competitive Advantage:

1. USB Drive.
2. Raise to desired temperature in 5 seconds.
3. DC power, safe, no electromagnetic.
4. Resist to rubbing and squeezing.
5. No production loss.
6. Even and stable heating temperature
7. Easy to proceed /use
8. Lower cost
9. Reach & RoHS
10. Green material, low energy consumption.

They have a patent pending applications TW M371733 CN 201485574U and TW 099146482 CN 201120008487.x.

 

 

CLICK:

1. https://litextextile.wordpress.com/products/conductive-metal-yarn-cmy/electrical-heating-textile/ for more information.
2. CLICK Wire Kinetics Fabrics

TEMPCO www.tempcomexico.com Silicone Rubber Heaters are available as wire wound or etched foil. Wire wound elements consist of the resistance wire wound on a fiberglass cord for support and stability. Etched foil heaters are made with a thin metal foil (.001”) as the resistance element.

4Conductive and resistive inks are printed on a film substrate layer, and then covered with another film layer laminated together with pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). Typically, the film layers are .005″ thick thermoplastic or thermoset polymers, like polyester (up to 105°C) or polyimide (up to 180°C), that exhibit good thermal conductivity while serving as electrical insulators. An additional layer of PSA can be added to the bottom of the assembly so the element can be bonded directly to the surface to be heated, ensuring excellent thermal transfer.

Technology Note: By spreading heat trace over larger percentage of the surface as compared to wire heater TEMPCO operates at cooler temperatures and low thermal mass of the heater allows heat to be transferred faster. Their current design is high voltage A/C for industrial use. But the principle should hold true for seat Heating Pads also.

PELONIS TECH Ultra-Thin Flexible Heaters provide higher thermal stability over a wide range of temperatures due to their excellent physical and electrical properties. Ultra-Thin Flexible Heaters meet the required specifications for use industries with applications operating at critical temperatures ranging from -200° C to 210° C. These versatile heating components feature superior thermal properties and their easy installation process makes them ideal for smaller applications.

Key Characteristics:

1. Uniform Heating with Superior Thermal Properties.
2. Ultra-Thin Flexible Heaters’ thin allow heat to transfer more efficiently.
3. Quick Heat-up as it creates strong bonding.
4. Lower EMF.
5. Better performance and lighter.

Two key application is seat and pet warmer/heating pads. Ultra-Thin Flexible Heaters do not produce high EMF like traditional heaters with printed or wired circuits. When bent, they do not crack or break the internal heater conductor, which is the leading cause of most heater failures. Ultra-Thin Flexible Heaters are also corrosion-resistant, which helps them withstand harsher applications.

Flexible heaters use a simple and easy installation process. The heater is installed simply by removing the adhesive backing and applying the Pelonis Ultra-Thin Flexible Heater to the desired substrate.

elements. Their outstanding physical and electrical properties result in thermal stability over a more extensive temperature range than any other heating element, and their flexibility makes them the perfect choice for critical applications with complex requirements.

For more information go to https://www.pelonistechnologies.com/ultra-thin-heaters

AME NanoHeat® FLEX-AUTO Heating System delivers speedy heating from its paper-thin and flexible super graphite layers (from -20C to 40C in 1.2 minutes) – enabling warm with evenly distributed comfortable area heating. NanoHeat® FLEX-AUTO can be delivered in all touch points within the automotive interior: in car seats, steering wheels, foot mats, door panels, armrest, center console.

 

Key Characteristics:

1. NanoHeat® is a new generation of heating element in nano-thickness (1 m = 109 nm), capable to provide fast and high efficiency heating functions in cold weather.
2. NanoHeat® is built with ultra-low electrical resistance, capable to be driven with simple direct connection to D.C. power source, car battery and even supercapacitor for fasting warming, ice melting and defrosting.
3. NanoHeat® produces no magnetic emission and interference for environmental improvement, and thus removes hazards & interference to surrounding equipment and devices, currently the technology is applied in products for laboratory uses.
4. NanoHeat® is reliable and tested fully at high voltage and high wattage uses by top electronic consumer product companies in the past four years in innovative product development.

For more information CLICK http://www.ames.hk/en/products/consumer_n_lifestyle/1/30.