Demand for smart, light-weight and power efficient products have led to the development of printed electronics. There are various inventions in printed electronics. In this article we’ll share about one of the most important invention – Printed Force Sensor also known as Force Sensing Resistor.
Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) is a thin material whose resistance varies continuously with respect to the applied force. Hence they are also known as Force Sensitive Resistor. FSRs are basically devices which change its resistive value depending upon the amount of force applied on it.
Force sensing resistors are made up of semi conductive material which is placed between two thin substrates. The more the pressure applied the more of those Active Element dots touches the semiconductor and that makes the resistance go down.
Basic Construction of FSR
Typical construction of FSR consists of two membranes substrates and a spacer adhesive. One of them is coated with a conductive ink. These membranes are separated by a thin air gap. When no pressure is applied, the circuit remains open, and electricity will not be able to pass from one wire to the other. When force is applied to this, the conductive substrate is pressed against the printed circuit substrate. This allows electricity to flow from one wire to the other. The amount of electricity that is able to flow depends on the pressure applied on the FSR. Greater pressure brings more of the conductive material in contact with the wires.
This simple construction of an FSR helps in making it very cost-effective and capable to be manufactured in various shapes and sizes.
Applications of FSR
There are a wide range of applications for FSR in bio-medical instrumentation, automotive industry, musical instruments, consumer products, electronic devices, interactive toys and many more.
Now that you know what Force Sensing Resistor is, are you interested in purchasing it?
At Linepro, we can develop and customize the size and shape of these resistors based on your requirement.
For any other queries on force sensing resistor and printed electronics technology, contact us today!
