Recently, flexible pressure sensors featuring enhanced sensitivity and durability through nano/micro additive manufacturing have been employed in various fields, including medical monitoring, E-skin technology, and soft robotics. This study focuses on the fabrication and verification of an interdigitated electrode (IDE) based flexible pressure sensor that incorporates microstructures, utilizing a direct patterning-based additive process. The IDE-patterned sample was designed with a total size of 7.95 × 10 mm2, a line width of 150 µm, a spacing of 200 µm, and a probe pad measuring 1.25 × 2 mm2. It was fabricated using AgNP ink on a primed 100 µm thick polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrate. The electrode layer was subsequently covered with a sensing layer made of a MWCNT/Ecoflex composite material, resulting in the final pressure sensor sample. Measurements indicated that the sensor exhibited good sensitivity and response speed, and it was confirmed that further improvements in sensitivity could be achieved by optimizing the size, spacing, and height of the microstructures. Building on the flexible pressure sensor structure developed in this study, we plan to pursue future research aimed at fabricating array sensors with integrated circuits and exploring their applicability in wearable devices for pressure sensing and control functions.

We have developed a direct conductive patterning method with micro-scale line widths using the laser-induced-forward transfer (LIFT) and liquid metal. As this method does not need post-thermal processing, there is no thermal damage even on heat-sensitive polymer substrates by low-power laser irradiation on the dynamic release layer (DRL). Unlike other liquid metal patterning processes, this procedure can easily achieve fine line widths of a few tens of micrometers corresponding to laser spot size. The solid-state UV pulse laser with 266 nm wavelength and 20 ns pulse duration was used to transfer Eutectic Gallium Indium (EGaIn) liquid metal and the results for the single and multi-pulse laser irradiation were investigated to determine the effective process conditions. The applicability of flexible circuit fabrication and selective circuit repair was successfully tested on Polyimide (PI) substrate. After the LIFT process, the electrical properties of liquid metal on the pattern were measured to be approximately 5~8 x 10^-3 Ω/m of resistance.

A novel method for the development of a highly sensitive triboelectric sensor based on porous PDMS matrix and carbon black (CB) particles is proposed. The porosity of the PDMS is controlled by using wet sugar particle sizes, and we fabricate a porous PDMS plate with a pore-to-volume ratio of 46%, which has a larger internal contact area compared to a non-pore one. To investigate the sensitive responses of the sensor, two key processes for the deposition of CB particles are conducted. One is the stirring process and another is ultrasonic vibration waving process. Based on the proposed method, a high-performance flat triboelectric sensor is fabricated. By a weight drop test of two different sensors, the amount of out-voltage is changed to approximately 29.1 and 95.1%, respectively. Through this study, we can evaluate that the sensitivity of triboelectric sensors is affected by the deposition method of the CB particles. The proposed flexible triboelectric sensor can be applied to analyze human physical behavior. Also, we believe that it can be applied to measure various physical signals such as contact force or gripping force with small values.

The brake squeal noise is a high-frequency noise over 1 kHz range generated by the contact between the brake pad and the disk. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the behavior of the squeal noise characteristics of the brake system from an instability point of view, according to the variation of major parameters such as friction coefficient between the flexible pad and the disk, brake pressure, and Young’s modulus of disk. Full nonlinear perturbed modal analysis using commercial finite element analysis program was performed to derive complex eigenvalue results of the model. And the sensitivity behavior was observed. Increasing the coefficient of friction or Young’s modulus of disk tended to make the squeal mode of the model more unstable. However, the change in brake pressure has a complicated nonlinear relationship with the squeal mode of the model. The judgment technique conducted in this study should be considered to be used in the design of the vibration point of the disk and pad of railway vehicles in the future.

In this investigation, we propose a flexible structured illumination microscope (FSIM) to eliminate mechanical moving parts for the phase shifts in the spatial pattern and longitudinal scanning of the specimen. In order to prevent these mechanical motions, we adopt a focus-tunable lens and digital micromirror device (DMD) to replace the lateral motion of the pattern and the scanning of the specimen, respectively, which leads to the enhancement of rapid and precise measurement results for measuring the 3D surface profile of specimens. To realize the proposed system, two types of flexible structured illumination microscopes, Macro and micro types, were constructed and their performances were verified with a plane mirror and step height specimens.

With the progress of flexible devices, numerous researchers aim to manufacture the flexible battery with freefrom at various scales. Laser cutting is considered as one of the essential processes to achieve on-demand manufacturing but continuous wave or long-pulse laser beam may cause large heat affect zone (HAZ) in cutting edge and may even result in failure of battery function. Herein, it was demonstrated that the sophisticated cutting process using ultra-short pulse laser is applicable for tailoring of flexible battery with multilayered structure. Based on the comparison of cutting results using nanosecond laser and femtosecond laser, we confirmed that laser cutting by femtosecond laser induces much less thermal damage on thin foil electrodes, separator, and electrolyte. Furthermore, we investigated the interaction of femtosecond laser with the materials composed of a flexible battery and implemented a process for cutting each material without causing any critical damage. To prevent a short circuit between the anode and cathode, which usually occurs during laser cutting of the actual battery, the double-side cutting process was done by adjusting the focal points of the laser beam. We assume that the proposed approach can be applied in a roll-to-roll based cutting process for the mass-production of flexible devices.

The directed energy deposition (DED) process has been used for enhancement of the mechanical property, repair, and part manufacturing. Post-process machining is required due to the low quality of the DED printed part. Even if the part is printed under similar conditions, dimensional variations occur frequently due to the accumulation of small printing errors. Due to tool overfeeding and the occurrence of the non-cutting area due to this variation, the quality of the finished part is not guaranteed. Therefore, the post-process machining should be carried out considering the actual printed part shape. Herein, the flexible post-process machining is proposed by utilizing the shape information through the on-machine measurement (OMM) of DED printed parts. The process margin for machining the design shape is calculated through the OMM of the geometric dimension of the printed part. Feedrate (Override) and machining path of each printing parts are flexibly determined depending on the process margin. This technique is applied to the pocket shape part printed with STS 316L material, and the rough and finish machining conditions are established. Rough machining time was reduced by adjusting the feedrate flexibly. The final form of accuracy and surface roughness were achieved under 30 and 0.25 μm, respectively.

By patterning finely with a laser with a thickness of 100 μm or less such as ABS and forming an electronic circuit through plating, a high-density flexible PCB applicable to wearable and mobile devices can be realized. ABS films with a thickness of 60, 90, and 120 μm were prepared, and a crater measuring 100 μm or less was formed by irradiating a fiber laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm with a single pulse. The size of the craters is affected by the intensity of laser irradiation and the thickness of the film, and the heat dissipation layer reduces the change in size caused by the difference in the thickness of the film. For films with a thickness of 60 μm, it has been found that small craters of more than 10% can be obtained due to the heat dissipation layer. Thermal analysis showed in the ABS film without the heat dissipation layer, the maximum temperature increased to 373oC, but decreased to 261℃ in the ABS film with the heat dissipation layer. With a decrease in the thickness of the film, the heat dissipation layer further reduces the pattern by laser irradiation.

Recently, applying nanoscale functional materials, there have been great advances in the flexible sensor system, which provides a large number of applications for soft electronics, such as skin-attachable sensors, artificial electronic skins, and soft robotic systems. Here, we developed a highly sensitive and flexible device on the basis of polymeric piezoelectric nanofibers and elastomeric packing structures. To produce the nanofibers, we applied the electrospinning process with a representative piezoelectric co-polymer, poly (vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE). Unlike the conventional electrospinning, we applied an anisotropic fiber collection system, which could obtain uniaxially aligned nanofiber array. The aligned nanofibers were sandwich-packed with bridge-shaped PDMS substrates, thereby integrating the flexible piezoelectric sensor. As an external force made a deflection of the bridge in the sensor, the embedded nanofibers generated piezoelectricity in a longitudinal direction of the fibers. The piezoelectric sensor generated good discernable outputs versus the varied mechanical input deflection from tens of micrometers to the sub-micrometer. With this great sensing ability, we could monitor heart pulse signals on the wrist skin by measuring tiny deflections generated from the expansion of the radial artery underneath the skin. Our study suggests a potential application of flexible sensor in the field of wearable health-monitoring medical systems.

Bedridden patients develop pressure sores, as a result of poor blood circulation and excessive humidity. Conventional bedsore mattresses are designed to vary interface pressure zones, between the body and mattress for improved blood flow. Another approach is to control interface humidity, by forced air circulation. An ideal solution may be interface humidity control, in addition to pressure zone control. In this paper, a thin and flexible structure is suggested for forced air ventilation, that can be placed atop pressure zone controlled mattresses. With fabric covers, drying performances are evaluated for a range of air flow rates.

The vibration analysis of flexible rotor systems supported by angular contact ball bearings is presented. Vibration analysis of rotor-ball bearing systems has often been performed via simplification of supporting bearings as linear springs with constant stiffness. In this study, an improved model of rotor-ball bearing systems was proposed. It utilizes a general bearing model based on response and time-dependent bearing characteristics. The system equations of motion were established using the finite-element method and numerically solved using the Newmark-β method. The method was used to recalculate the bearing stiffness matrices at every interval of numerical integration as a function of the instantaneous bearing displacements using a separated five-degrees-of-freedom bearing model. The method was verified via comparison with experimental data available in the literature. The extended simulations were conducted to investigate the unbalanced responses of a rotor-ball bearing system using the proposed and conventional methods. Numerical results showed a meaningful discrepancy between the vibrational responses obtained by the proposed model using the response and timedependent bearing stiffness model and the traditional constant-stiffness model.

Recently, the metal grid electrode drew attention as a flexible transparent conductive electrode for touch screen panels. In metal grid electrodes, various shapes of grid patterns were used to avoid the moiré phenomenon. In this study, we investigated the effects of the metal grid shapes - such as the honeycomb, diamond, and square - on the flexibility and durability of the metal grid film using an experimental and numerical analysis. The flexibility of the metal grid film was evaluated via the following: bending, cyclic bending fatigue and stretching tests; it was compared with the numerical stress analysis. In the bending test, the resistance of the honeycomb grid sample increased by 10% at a bending radius of 10 mm. On the other hand, the diamond grid showed almost no change in resistance up to a bending radius of 6 mm. When the substrate was stretched to 5%, many cracks appeared on the surface of the honeycomb pattern sample. On the other hand, no cracks were found in the diamond pattern sample. Therefore, the diamond pattern exhibited superior flexibility and durability to the honeycomb pattern. The numerical stress analysis also showed that the honeycomb pattern had the highest stress and the diamond pattern had the lowest stress during bending and stretching, which corresponded with the experimental results.

The applicability of flexible OLED devices has been expanding to rollable or foldable displays and lighting. At this time, a system to measure the durability of flexible OLEDs needs to be developed to successfully launch flexible OLEDs in future electronic devices. In this paper, we develop a bending lifetime tester to measure the performance of flexible OLEDs by measuring the luminance of the device in real-time during the bending test. A fixed distance between the bent OLEDs and detector during the bending test improves the accuracy of the measured brightness in real time. This bending tester can measure the lifetime of flexible OLEDs with a mean deviation of less than 0.23% over a temperature range of -30 to 80℃. This performance is sufficient to measure the accelerated lifetime test of flexible OLEDs for reliability engineering.

In this work, a new design for mobiles proposes a flexible display that can be switched between flat and curved surfaces. After a few unsuccessful attempts, a noble conversion scheme between the two configurations was obtained after application of the TRIZ contradiction analysis. For physical embodiment of flat display, effects of design parameters are investigated experimentally using the Taguchi method and response surface methodology. It is suggested that a finite element model might be useful for future applications after proper experimental validation.

In this study, flexible fixtures and end effectors are conceptually designed for the holding of thin-walled carbon-fiber reinforced-plastic (CFRP) workpieces in machining processes. Firstly, the fixture scenarios and system requirements for the conceptual designs of flexible-fixture and core units are proposed, including the propounding of the workpiece-holding mechanism and the core-unit requirements. A ball-joint pneumatic system is determined as a locking mechanism of the flexible-fixture system for the machining of thin-walled components. Secondly, conceptual designs of the core units are suggested with the driven requirements from the fixture scenarios. A self-tilting mechanism and an end-effector return mechanism are also proposed. Finally, the prototypes of the core units are manufactured, and the workpiece-holding capacity of each prototype is measured.