Advanced Lab Screen Printing

This Advanced Lab Screen Printing was conducted as a one-week intensive seminar at CCL Design in Nufringen, replacing the regular weekly lectures of the semester. It was organised by Professor Lindenmann in collaboration with Andreas Willfahrt, R&D manager at CCL Design, and was carried out by a group of six students.

The target of this project was to design and manufacture a functional membrane switch as part of a human-machine interface (HMI), following predefined technical specifications. The system consists of multiple layers and integrates different components such as LEDs, a metal dome switch, a graphic overlay, and an Arduino-based control unit. After assembly, the final product is tested to verify its functionality.

Both the graphic overlay and the conductor tail were printed using screen printing. This technology is typically used for printed electronics because one of the advantages is the ability to print silver and carbon inks, which contain large pigments. It is also important to print a specific amount of ink in order to generate a certain thickness and provide a functional conductor track.

The project provides practical insight into industrial screen printing processes, and also requires know-how in electronics, product design and mechanical components in modern HMI systems.