Individual and Sustainable Designs Lopec 2026: Printed Electronics Reduce CO2 Footprint

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Printed electronics are becoming increasingly important in the mobility sector. No wonder, as it scores particularly well in the automotive industry with a number of advantages, such as weight and space savings, high design freedom thanks to flexible shapes and cost efficiency in production. This year's Lopec from February 25 to 26, 2026 and the accompanying congress from February 24, 2026 will show how printed electronics contribute to sustainable mobility.

Around 170 exhibitors from 29 countries and around 2,400 visitors came together at Messe München's ICM from February 25 to 27, 2025. The trade fair and the accompanying congress for flexible, organic and printed electronics had already focused even more strongly on the user side last year and featured practice-oriented presentation sessions, among other things. Key topics were the increasing market penetration of the technology and the enormous importance of printed electronics for sustainable applications - including for the automotive industry.

This will also be a focus in 2026: whether battery management, new display concepts, individual vehicle designs or energy-saving lights: Printed electronics can be found in many automotive and mobility applications.

Focus on OLED Technology

Audi already presented individually configurable OLED rear lights consisting of individually controllable segments at Lopec in 2025. In future, the Volkswagen subsidiary also wants to use the technology to communicate with other road users. This year, Aumovio, Continental's independent automotive division since September 2025, will emphasize the importance of flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for displays. As the company will explain in its keynote speech at the Lopec Congress, OLED displays offer excellent image quality and a low carbon footprint. Optimized adhesive materials also contribute to this. They hold the OLED displays together, improve the ambient contrast and reduce internal reflections. They also make repairs and recycling easier.

Tesa also provides information on sustainable adhesive technologies. The company develops debonding-on-demand adhesive tapes for displays, power batteries and many other applications that can be released when required, for example under the influence of heat, electricity or laser light. The key advantage: composite components can be broken down into their individual components in a controlled manner. Because they are made from the same material, they are much easier to recycle - an important step towards resource-saving and recyclable products. "New materials play a key role in printed electronics. We are therefore delighted that material manufacturers from all over the world are presenting their innovations at LOPEC," says Armin Wittmann, Exhibition Director of Lopec. Industry giants such as Celanese, Covestro, Elantas, Henkel, Heraeus and Sun Chemical as well as smaller specialized companies will be represented in Munich. For example, the Finnish company Canatu will be presenting electronics made from carbon nanotubes (CNT) at the congress. Printed CNT touch sensors replace buttons and switches in the car cockpit, for example, and offer greater design freedom.

Individually Designed Interior

Thanks to printed electronics, the interior can be increasingly individualized and in future will be able to be adapted to the mood or wishes of the passengers. In the Innovation Showcase and at the congress, the US company E Ink, together with the German automotive supplier Marquardt, is presenting switchable panels for door trims. Thanks to E Ink's electronic ink, they can change their color and pattern at the touch of a button. E Ink demonstrated with BMW that a vehicle's body surface can vary its color at the driver's request. The BMW iX Flow featuring E Ink was shown for the first time at CES 2022. E Ink showed its technology to interested visitors at the trade fair.

Vehicle lighting is also increasingly becoming a design element. TactoTek will be discussing the production of dynamic displays, animated and individualized lighting modules at the congress. The Finnish company combines printed electronics and LEDs with decorative and structural elements in a lightweight, injection-molded plastic part. This production method saves resources because it requires fewer components and less plastic than conventional processes. For example, the company is partnering with automotive supplier Valeo. TactoTek's IMSE (In-Mold Structural Electronics) technology helps the French company to offer solutions for interior and exterior lighting.

Great Interest from Asian OEMs and Suppliers

The trade fair is also increasingly becoming the focus of international visitors and exhibitors. "Lopec 2026 reflects the global automotive industry's interest in printed electronics," says Wittman. Asia in particular is moving into focus. As part of the congress, Changan will discuss the advantages of printed electronics and explain how they are used in the Chinese car manufacturer's vehicles.

Naxnova from India is represented with a presentation. The Naxnova Group includes the companies Quad from Belgium and ATT from Austria, both of which manufacture printed electronics, as well as the German automotive supplier HS Products Engineering. Naxnova's product range includes printed lighting elements for vehicle interiors and exteriors as well as sensors for driver assistance systems and climate control. (se)