Finnish technology company TactoTek Oy and Marquardt Service GmbH, the German maker of electronic and electromechanical switches and switching systems, are working together to develop an injection molded structural electronics (IMSE) for a leading automaker.
IMSE produces integrated printed circuitry and electronic components into 3D injection molded plastics. Leading uses include in-vehicle components, home and industrial applications and wearable electronics.
It marks the first collaborative project between TactoTek of Oulunsalo, Finland, and Marquardt of Rietheim-Wilheim, Germany.
What the companies call a “pre-development project” is for a specific vehicle family which it has not identified. It includes full automation validation of the IMSE parts.
“As the [automaker's] designers evaluated how to realize their vision, IMSE became the preferred technology choice. IMSE enables functionality, better performance and easier integration,” said Sami Hyyryläinen, SVS field operations at TactoTek. “However, this OEM, and others, typically rely on their established suppliers for mass production. This is why TactoTek’s primary business model is licensing our technology. We invest in technology innovation and industrialization that our licensees can leverage with their customers.”
“IMSE is a natural choice to us,” said Frank Stier, director of innovations at Marquardt Group. “Delivering the full electronics feature set with the limited packaging depth and complex part shape would be difficult with a traditional electronics assembly.”
TactoTek has a U.S. office in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Email [email protected].