Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) turn exotic wood veneers into functional smart surfaces
Today, TactoTek, the leader in Injection Molded Structural Electronics (IMSE) solutions, and Quin GmbH, leading supplier of premium trim parts in wood, aluminum, foil, and high quality plastics for luxury cars, announced that they have developed natural wood trim using real wood veneers with capacitive touch controls and illumination in a seamless, single piece structure.
Combining electronic functions with luxurious natural and synthetic materials responds to prominent automotive industry design trends: optimizing space utilization and reducing weight, while making cockpits comfortable, stylish spaces for active drivers and autonomous vehicles.
“Quin is well-known for their trim parts in vehicles from Premium OEMs. Complementing their elegant wood surfaces with intuitive controls combines visual appeal with functionality that drivers and passengers have come to expect from their use of mobile devices and other electronics,” stated Jussi Harvela, CEO of TactoTek, “This use case further illustrates the scope of applications for IMSE technology.”
IMSE solutions often use plastic IML film for the cosmetic surface. Quin has demonstrated the ability to use natural wood as the cosmetic surface, and finish that surface to the standards of the parts for which they are highly regarded.
“By encapsulating the complexity of electronics within a beautiful, light and thin, structural part, we have simplified vehicle integration. Moreover, we can now show similar designs with plastic and wood surfaces, so the solution is relevant across vehicle trim levels,” noted Klaus Bieniek, Head of Pre-development department at Quin; “we intend to continue our collaboration with TactoTek to expand our range of use cases and surface material offerings.”
