New Industry Products

Printable, Thin, Flexible, Eco-friendly IoT Power Source

October 23, 2016 by Jeff Shepard

Strengthening an expanding portfolio of printed electronics solutions, Molex has signed a worldwide license agreement to manufacture Enfucell SoftBattery® power sources. With over a decade developing the patented technology, Enfucell has been a forerunner in printable battery design for the needs of healthcare, sports and logistics. The non-exclusive partnership allows Molex to better serve rapidly growing markets for wearable and Internet of Things (IoT) electronics products and sensor applications powered by printable batteries.

“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,” states 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, and 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 fiber optic solutions, and brings expertise in printed and flexible electronics, including a proprietary roll-to-roll printing process for affordable production.

The innovative battery technology allows for a wide range of customized 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.

Adds Heitzinger: “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.”