LOPEC to focus on printed electronics

In times of change, printed electronics is offering the mobility sector new solutions. Running from 25-27 February 2025 in Munich, Germany, the event will demonstrate exactly that.

“The lightweight electronic components support sustainable vehicle concepts, and ensure greater safety and lower energy consumption,” said Dr. Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of the LOPEC co-organiser OE-A (Organic and Printed Electronics Association), an international working group within the VDMA. Printed electronic elements can be used to implement various additional functions. "Printed electronics is thin and flexible, allowing it to be seamlessly integrated into a wide variety of products. Its use can significantly reduce the vehicle weight," added Hecker.

LOPEC 2025 will showcase numerous applications for the automotive industry that are already on the market or about to be commercialised. Among the exhibitors at LOPEC are industry giants such as Covestro, Henkel, Heraeus, IEE, and tesa, as well as start-ups, medium-sized companies and research institutions from all over the world.

One focus of LOPEC 2025 will be on e-mobility. In Munich, exhibitor Flexoo will present the ultra-thin MiniMoS sensor unit, which accurately measures the pressure and temperature of batteries and other energy storage devices. With the help of real-time monitoring, the battery life of an electric car can be extended by up to 40%. The risk of fire is also reduced as critical conditions are detected in time. MiniMoS transmits the data to existing battery management systems via Bluetooth.

Printed electronics also has a use in the safety of hydrogen mobility, as Arkema Piezotech will demonstrate in Munich. The French company specialises in piezoelectric plastics. Sensor arrays printed from these and mounted on high-pressure hydrogen tanks register the acoustic waves generated by impacts or other mechanical influences and convert them into electrical signals. The severity and location of the damage can thus be determined as well as the premature aging of a tank. The sensor solution for car tires developed by the Finnish research center VTT in turn helps save fuel by setting the optimum tire pressure. A life cycle analysis carried out as part of the EU project UNICORN highlights the positive environmental effect.

Electronic components that can be dismantled non-destructively at the end of their service life, making them easier to sort for recycling, are also advantageous in the context of the circular economy. LOPEC exhibitor tesa offers a debonding-on-demand technology for that purpose, which ensures permanent yet easily removable bonds.

The easy-to-integrate electronic components offer designers undreamt-of possibilities and pave the way for individualisation in vehicle construction," added Hecker.

Audi, for instance, already offers individually configurable OLED rear lights consisting of individually controllable segments. In the future, the technology is expected to increasingly be used to communicate with other road users, as Dr. Werner Thomas, OLED Lighting Project Manager at Audi, will explain in his plenary lecture at the LOPEC Conference - taking place on 26th February, 9:45am.