Measured current characteristics of powered e-textile transmission lines with respect to welding process parameters

Among the diverse range of techniques applied in manufacturing of wearable electronics, welding process appears to be one of the most promising, as it offers high protection and insulation without sacrificing textile comfort and quality expectations, however, a number of factors including material and processing types must be considered in order to reach a high quality welded e-textile with repeatable and accurate functionality. In this study, in order to create an e-textile power transmission system, stainless steel conductive yarns were welded with three different types of multi-layered breathable, waterproof and windproof welding tapes on top of either polyester or polyamide textile fabrics under different welding process parameters. Current on the e-textile sample was measured and acquired via real-time measurements under different voltages applied. The effects of welding parameters together with material types at various applied voltages on electrical current passing through powered e-textile structure were statistically analyzed and discussed. Interaction of highly effective factors were presented using contour plots. Moreover, a desirability map was prepared for a targeted current. Statistical analysis of the experimental data showed that applied voltage and linear resistance of conductive yarn were the highly significantly effective factors on obtained level of current when the welded e-textile samples are powered. Desirability map showed that by selection of levels of factors applied throughout the study, a targeted actual current level can be reached with a very high precision (over 99%).