Henkel demonstrates advanced healthcare wearables at MEDICA
Henkel and Linxens join forces to enhance patient comfort in medical wearables while Henkel, Covestro and Quad Industries collaborate to develop novel healthcare applications, both based on printed electronics.
Henkel is an industry-leading supplier of printed electronics materials and services. The broad Loctite portfolio of functional inks includes conductive inks and paints as well as resistive and dielectric inks. These materials combined with four decades of formulation expertise enable the company´s ecosystem partners to develop printed electronics applications tailored to the specific properties demanded by industrial customers – with a growing focus on the medical and healthcare industry.
During MEDICA Henkel will present a variety of printed electronics material solutions and its broad ecosystem of partners that enable customers to accelerate medical technology innovation for advanced healthcare applications. The company will showcase its expertise in the areas of printed sensors for diagnostics and hygiene, medical wearables, medical heaters and antennas for medical wearables. The partnership with Covestro and Quad Industries will be highlighted by the presentation of a patch demonstrator – an ECG pad for continuous patient monitoring of heart activities. Henkel and Covestro have developed the materials for this advanced wearable while Quad Industries is responsible for the customised design and manufacturing.
Covestro values strong partners across the value chain
Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. The company supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself. The company has developed high-performing Platilon® TPU films that enable the next generation of printed electronics for healthcare devices. These substrates are explicitly designed for high printing quality, processability, and mechanical strength. Covestro substrates facilitate easier printing, curing, and converting processes for printed electronics while providing skin-friendly, soft, and breathable features.
Quad Industries is a pioneering technology company, specialising in the development and manufacturing of printed electronics. With a strong focus on innovation and customer collaboration, Quad Industries leverages its expertise to create cutting-edge products for various industries, including healthcare, automotive, consumer and industrial electronics. With its commitment to quality and sustainability the company is an ideal integration partner for innovative printed electronics applications.
The collaboration between Henkel and Linxens has developed proof of concept
Linxens is a global leader in the electronics industry, providing innovative, customised component-based solutions to meet the most demanding technical specifications for connectivity, traceability and authentication. Within the collaboration the company is leveraging its Roll-to-Roll (R2R) screen printing technology for the development of highly complex and precise printed electronic designs. Printed electronics allows the production of flexible circuits screen printed on flexible foils such as PET, and with the converting onto a self-adhesive tape, it can be cut into the shape of a skin patch. These have the advantage of being integrated into skin patches, which are thin, comfortable, and optimised for medical applications. As a result, the heating skin patch can be used in various healthcare and wellness contexts, such as for pain relief or temperature-controlled drug delivery.
Henkel is providing its expertise in the development of Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) inks ensuring optimal electrical performance of the self-regulating heating elements while maintaining the flexibility and adhesion required for skin-contact medical patches. The company´s silver conductive inks and carbon resistive inks for creating micro-heaters are essential to the patch’s self-regulative heating capabilities. In addition, Henkel also leverages its broad expertise from supplying more than 800 industry segments globally.
The company will showcase both this innovative proof of concept in the healthcare market together with Linxens as well as the capabilities of the collaboration with Covestro and Quad Industries at the MEDICA trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany, 11-14 November at the Henkel booth (C59) in hall 13.
Source: Henkel
Caption: Henkel, Covestro and Quad Industries collaborate for advanced medical wearables based on printed electronics with a focus on stretchable materials (Image: Henkel).
www.henkel.com
www.covestro.com/en
www.quad-ind.com
www.linxens.com/en