Embroidered and e-textile conductors embedded inside 3D-printed structures

Abstract

This paper discusses the fabrication and wireless performance evaluation of textile-integrated passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags, which are embedded inside flexible additively manufactured wireless platforms. Two different methods are utilized to fabricate the tag antenna, including embroidery with conductive thread and conductive e-textiles. After antenna fabrication, RFID ICs (integrated circuits) are attached to the antenna patterns, to achieve fully functional RFID tags. These two types of tags are embedded inside flexible 3D-printed platforms, which can protect the tags from mechanical stresses and moisture. Our preliminary results show that the peak read ranges of both types of platforms are higher than 6 meters, which are suitable for versatile wireless applications.