Fabrication of Soft Sensor Using Laser Processing Techniques: For the Alternative 3D Printing Process

Recently, the rapid prototyping process was actively studied in industry and academia. The rapid prototyping process has various advantages such as a rapid processing speed, high processing freedom, high efficiency, and eco-friendly process compared to the conventional etching process. However, in general, it is difficult to directly apply to the fabrication of electric devices, as the molding made by the rapid prototyping process is usually a nonconductive polymer. Even when a conductive material is used for the rapid prototyping process, the molding is made by a single material; thus, its application is limited. In this study, we introduce a simple alternative process for the fabrication of a soft sensor using laser processing techniques. The UV laser curing of polymer resin and laser welding of nanowires are conducted and analyzed. Through the laser processing techniques, we can easily fabricate soft sensors, which is considered an alternative 3D printing process for the fabrication of soft sensors.