Loudspeakers embedded in flexo paper at Drupa

One of the highlights at Drupa is a loudspeaker that has been printed with flexography on standard paper. This is thanks to the R&D group of Prof Dr Arved Hübler a co-exhibitor at Windmöller & Hölscher KG (Lengerich) and is being showcased in hall 15, booth A41/1.

06 May 2012 | By PrintWeek India

Prof Hubler who has been travelling to India and holding workshops on printed electronics in Mumbai spoke exclusively to PrintWeek India.

He said, "the printed paper loudspeaker is connected to an audio amplifier like a conventional loudspeaker. Frequency response and hence sound quality are very good and the paper is surprisingly loud. Just the bass of the paper-based loudspeaker is a bit weak. The thin loudspeakers, which are printed in the laboratories of Institute for Print and Media Technology, contain several layers of a conductive organic polymer and a piezoactive layer.

The loudspeakers are astonishingly robust and can be produced in a very cheap way as mass printing methods are used. The bottom side of the paper loudspeaker provides unused  space on which coloured messages can be printed."
 
What is clear when on examines the samples is that a variety of new applications are possible. The paper loudspeakers could, for instance, be integrated into common print products. As such, they offer an enormous potential for the advertising segment, which is the driving force of the printing industry. In addition, sound wallpapers and purely technical applications, e.g., distance sensors, are possible, because the papers are also active in the ultrasound range. 
 
Besides printed loudspeakers, the Institute for Print and Media Technology presents innovative 3PV technology (printed paper photovoltaics), which was first published half a year ago.
 
At Drupa, Prof Hubler and his researchers from Chemnitz also exhibit a solar tree with 50 printed solar leaves. Similar to an ordinary tree, the leaves that face the sun collect energy. They are connected with snap fasteners and supply a battery via a cable in the hollow tree trunk. The solar cells have a moderate efficiency and shorter lifetime compared to conventional cells based on silicon, but the production costs are comparatively low. Therefore, they could become very useful for countries like India where abundant sunlight is available throughout the day and year.

The bottom side of the solar leaves can also be printed with advertisements. As such, the 3PV technology developed at Chemnitz University of Technology, could not just make a contribution to global power supplies in the future, but also enable the breakthrough of printed electronics. 
 
Clearly one technology to watch out for at hall 15, booth A41/1.