Pilot converting of next generation wearables towards high quality manufacturing processes

Wearable technology provides unique smart wearable patches with enabling users to gain meaningful information on their personal health and wellbeing. Due to the ageing population, novel healthcare and wellness applications – especially in homecare and in sports – require continuous wireless measurement of various parameters from human body, such as temperature, heart rate and oxygen saturation. However, electronics today are wired, bulky and clumsy to use. Ultra-comfortable solutions for wearable electronics that are flexible, soft, conformable, and even stretchable and that can be worn as patches – intelligent plasters – are required. In addition, low manufacturing costs of printed electronics enables introduction of disposable single-use sensors, which could enable remote monitoring at home, making it possible to send patients home safely earlier than usual, which would help save health care resources.
In this work, feasibility of pilot converting of next generation wearables towards high volume manufacturing processes was studied. The structure of a smart patch is based on printed hybrid electronics (FHE) technology. Our methods include fabrication of flexible and stretchable patch prototypes using mass-manufacturing methods such as continuous roll-to-roll (R2R) printing and component assembly, followed with various post-processing i.e. converting methods and characterizing them using test methods such as cyclic stretch test. In particular, the converting process was supported by the industrial type of robot arms, which really boost the productivity in wearable manufacturing. Inline machine vision system of robotics enables high accuracy alignment accordingly. Furthermore, sustainable approaches towards green electronic manufacturing will be considered.
In the model case study of “fully integrated stretchable electrocardiogram (ECG) patch”, the goal was to develop and demonstrate a fully automated, high-volume manufacturing processes for the patches. The ECG patch comprised of roll-to-roll printed circuit on thin (100 µm) stretchable thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), direct integration of microelectronic components such as a low-power integrated ECG frontend chip and Bluetooth radio for wireless data streaming, and automatic converting processing with froth foam technique for sensor encapsulation and outline cutting method.