TactoTek lines up Suzhou Rixian for Chinese IMSE work

Finnish structural-electronics specialist TactoTek has signed Suzhou Rixian Optical Technology as a Chinese licensee for its In-Mold Structural Electronics (IMSE) technology. The deal gives Chinese OEMs a local route to rapid prototyping of IMSE parts during the design-validation phase.

IMSE technology embeds lighting, touch controls, electrical components and circuitry directly into three-dimensional moulded structures. Replacing conventional multi-component assemblies with structural electronics lets suppliers produce lighter, thinner smart surfaces while cutting assembly complexity and total system cost.

Suzhou Rixian, one of China’s leading automotive lighting prototype suppliers, will use the licence to offer Chinese OEMs IMSE prototyping within their own development cycles. Speed and cost at validation stage are increasingly central as Chinese automakers compress product cycles for new energy and software-defined vehicles.

The Chinese supplier said it is already engaged on an IMSE-based project with a leading Chinese automotive OEM, though neither party named the customer or detailed the application.

“Establishing local prototyping capabilities in China is vital for supporting OEM development processes,” said Marko Suo-Anttila, Senior Vice President of Customer Solutions at TactoTek.

The agreement expands TactoTek’s licensee network, which the company has been growing as a route to scale the IMSE platform without taking on direct manufacturing capacity itself.

Source: TactoTek