In-Mold Electronic Systems for Vehicle Surface Illumination

NBHX and TactoTek have established a cooperative manufacturing program in China to deploy structural electronics for exterior vehicle illumination. This collaboration addresses the integration of lighting and electronic control systems within single physical layers for the automotive manufacturing sector.

Cooperating Entities and Industrial Challenge
The partnership involves NBHX, a supplier of automotive surface solutions, and TactoTek, the developer of the in-mold structural electronics platform. The automotive industry faces the technical challenge of integrating complex lighting arrays and sensors into exterior vehicle surfaces without increasing mass or assembly depth. Addressing this requires a cooperative approach that combines TactoTek's foundational intellectual property in printed electronics with NBHX's industrialization capabilities and supply chain integration.

Technical Solution and Division of Responsibilities
The technical solution relies on encapsulating printed circuitry, light-emitting diodes, and surface-mounted components directly within injection-molded plastics. TactoTek provides the underlying technology platform, licensed engineering specifications, and the technical foundation for the electronic integration. NBHX manages the application engineering, tooling, and execution of the molding processes required to achieve the reduced physical footprint. This division of responsibility ensures that the system architecture meets the required performance parameters for exterior environmental durability and total system efficiency.

Implementation and Production Integration
Implementation takes place at a manufacturing facility operated by NBHX in China, dedicated exclusively to the production of in-mold structural electronics. The facility is located adjacent to the client original equipment manufacturer assembly operations to support localized, synchronized program delivery and industrial automation. Integration into the existing automotive production infrastructure requires adherence to automotive-grade validation for exterior components, transitioning the technology from its previous validation parameters in vehicle interiors to the more demanding exterior environment.

Expected Operational Impact
The shift to integrated structural electronics reduces the physical footprint of exterior lighting modules, yielding measurable benefits in packaging efficiency and weight reduction compared to conventional printed circuit board assemblies. Consolidating multiple parts into a single molded structure minimizes potential points of mechanical failure, directly improving long-term component reliability and structural integrity against environmental factors.

Edited by Aishwarya Mambet, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.

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