German automotive supplier Continental (Hanover; www.continental.com), hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic (see Plasteurope.com of 26.03.2021), is bundling its functional printing expertise at a new domestic technology centre in Freiburg. The EUR 2.5m investment includes a machine developed specially for functional printing that processes a wide variety of materials, including plastics, metal, paper and rubber. “Printing on PET substrates is very relevant, particularly in the packaging sector or when printing flexible circuits,” a company spokesperson told Plasteurope.com.

Continental said R&D at the centre will revolve around future packaging technologies, such as smart packaging with touch displays and biosensors. “Food packaging that records when it is opened for the first time is also conceivable,” it added.

The engineers and software developers in Freiburg are also working on heating, antenna printing, and pressure and temperature sensors. Sensors for predictive maintenance concepts are an important part of Industry 4.0, e.g. elongation sensors that are embedded in conveyor belts and detect early on if a replacement is required. Other predictive maintenance concepts include sensors and antennas to measure wear inside hoses, or sensor air springs indicating pressure.