Research Symposium

BIO

Isabella Rodriguez, a senior Industrial Engineering student at Florida State University originally from the Republic of Panama, is particularly interested in innovation, sustainable technologies, and advanced manufacturing systems.

It was through involvement in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) that Isabella was introduced to NASA’s Zero-Emission Aviation Mission and had the opportunity to learn about cryogenic power systems and superconducting technologies at the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS). Being exposed to this research environment sparked Isabella's interest in advanced energy systems and the role that emerging technologies can play in building more efficient and sustainable infrastructure.

In Spring 2025, Isabella began conducting research on high-temperature superconducting tapes, focusing on measuring their electrical resistance using the four-probe method and precision instrumentation. This experience helped Isabella develop hands-on laboratory skills while strengthening my understanding of experimental design, data collection, and analysis in engineering research.

More recently, my research interests have expanded toward advanced manufacturing and embedded electronics. My current work focuses on developing an experimental framework to study strain-induced microdeformation in printed conductive inks during thermoforming processes. Using hybrid manufacturing methods such as Direct Ink Writing combined with thermoforming, along with in-situ micro-CT imaging, the goal is to better understand how conductive materials deform and fail under mechanical strain. Ultimately, Isabella hopes this research will contribute to improving the reliability of embedded electronics and support the development of next-generation manufacturing technologies.

Dynamic Studies of Thermoformed Embedded Printed Electronics Using Micro-CT

Abstract

This research proposes a novel experimental framework to quantify strain-induced microdeformation in printed electronic features during thermoforming and molding. The study will develop an in-situ dynamic micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging methodology capable of observing internal structural changes in conductive inks deposited on thermoformable polymer substrates such as PET, PTFE, and PC. Hybrid manufacturing combining Direct Ink Writing (DIW) and thermoforming will be used to fabricate three-dimensional samples with embedded electronics across varied mold geometries. Pre- and post-processing micro-CT analysis will evaluate microstructural deformation, interfacial adhesion, and electrical reliability under thermoforming strain rates ranging from 0.01 to 10 s⁻¹.
Expected outcomes include quantitative metrics describing deformation behavior and failure modes of conductive inks, with elongation predictions informed by the Mooney–Rivlin model. By establishing a strain-aware characterization paradigm for IME fabrication, this work aims to provide design principles that improve the reliability of embedded electronics and expand the applicability of hybrid manufacturing systems in advanced engineering environments.

Keywords: In-Mold Electronics (IME), printed conductive inks, industrial engineering