Industrial manufacturing of actuators based on electroactive polymers as well as elastomer components
Dätwyler Sealing Solutions AG
Schattdorf (Switzerland)New on Amplifa
About Dätwyler
Dätwyler industrializes the electroactive polymer (EAP) actuator technology originally developed by the EMPA spin-off CTsystems. At the core is the production-ready manufacture of stacked dielectric elastomer actuators (Dielectric Elastomer Actuators, DEA): flexible multilayer capacitors made of thin elastomer layers that convert electrical energy directly into mechanical motion. The actuators operate silently and maintenance-free, require very little energy, integrate actuation and sensing in a monoblock, and achieve contractions of up to 10 % and actuation forces of up to 20 N. Application areas include, among others, haptic feedback for vehicle interiors, IoT applications and fluidic systems such as demonstrator pumps with adaptive fluid control. In 2022 Dätwyler opened the Technology & Innovation Labs in Schattdorf (Switzerland) with specialized laboratories for surface and analytics support; in 2024, together with Momentive and BSC Computer, the industrial market launch of the DEA technology began with initial lead customers. The technology is protected by patents and is presented at trade fairs such as the IZB.
- Site
- Schattdorf, Switzerland
- Processes
- Manufacture of stacked electroactive polymers (EAP) / Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEA) –, Solution Design, Simulation, Material Expertise, Product Industrialization, Electro Active Polymers (EAP) – Dielectric Elastomer Actuators, Technology & Innovation Labs (surface and analytics support)
- Materials
- Dielectric elastomer (electroactive polymer, EAP), Electroactive polymer / dielectric elastomer
- Industries
- Automotive (vehicle interior, e-powertrain), Healthcare (pharmaceutical packaging), Transportation & Electronics, General Industry, Food & Beverage, IoT/Electronics
- 01
Solution Design
- 02
Simulation
- 03
Material Expertise
- 04
Manufacture of stacked multilayer EAP actuators
- 05
Product Industrialization
- 06
Series production with lead customers
Materials and Processes
Electroactive polymer / dielectric elastomer
Elastomeric multilayer material that, as a stacked actuator, converts electrical energy into mechanical motion while also integrating sensing functions.
Locations
Schattdorf
CHTechnology & Innovation Labs (research laboratories)
- Materials
- Electroactive polymers
Components and Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of stacked electroactive polymers (EAP) / Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEA) –Plastics | – | – | – | – | Elastomers (dielectric elastomer) |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 2021
Technical article on haptic feedback and vehicle interior design in the context of electrification (Automotive World)
- 2022
Positioning with the future technology electroactive polymers and patent protection
- 2022
Presentation of the portfolio at IZB 2022, including EAP for interior applications, TIM for battery systems and LSR for e-powertrain
- 2022
Opening of the Technology & Innovation Labs in Schattdorf, Switzerland
- 2023
Technical article on stacked electroactive polymers as an energy-efficient alternative for IoT applications (Elektronik Praxis)
- 2024
Collaboration with Momentive and BSC Computer for the industrial market launch of Dielectric Elastomer Actuators; transfer to series production with the first lead customers