Partnership enables manufacture of eco-friendly power sources

“The IoT is proving a powerful tool in ‘smart’ solutions. Demand is on the rise for affordable power sources to support connectivity in sensors, patches, wearables and other intelligent applications,” stated John Heitzinger, Industry Marketing Manager, Molex.

Sensors and other Internet-enabled solutions need power to function. Many wearable applications such as sports devices or skin patches for medicinal delivery require power sources with resilient features. The high quality battery is a flexible, all-print primary solution manufactured of low-cost industrial eco-friendly materials based on zinc and manganese dioxide, with zinc chloride as an electrolyte.

Printed electronics differ from traditional electronics in that power sources and other components can be fabricated on flexible substrates. Molex manufactures electronic, electrical and fibre optic solutions, and works with printed and flexible electronics, including a roll-to-roll printing process for affordable production.

The battery technology allows for a range of customised sizes and shapes to be manufactured and integrated into products they power. Under the terms of the agreement, Molex now provides end-to-end project support and printed manufacture of SoftBattery power sources to label, patch and other device types.

Heitzinger added: “From design to prototyping to full-scale manufacturing, Molex expertise and advanced manufacturing processes provide significant advantages for customers to create solutions that leverage the benefits of the IoT and are powered by printed batteries.”