Printed Sensor Films for the Energy Transition and Industrial Applications of Tomorrow: Flexora GmbH 

TGFS

12 November 2024

TGFS Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen has partnered with TUDAG and another private investor to invest in Flexora GmbH. Flexora is a spin-off from the Technical University of Dresden (Institute for Applied Physics). The start-up develops printed sensors on flexible films that are cost-effective to produce and easy to install. These sensors enable large-scale sensing with real-time data analysis to improve systems and processes, as well as enable novel applications.

The company was founded as a spin-off in 2022 by Dr. Michael Sawatzki-Park (CTO), Clemens Haist (CEO), Dr. David Kneppe (Head of Production), and Kivanc Ararat (Head of Engineering), with the participation of Institute Director Prof. Dr. Karl Leo. The goal of the international and interdisciplinary founding team is to make data acquisition over large areas simple and cost-efficient with Flexora. The target customers are manufacturers and operators of large-scale facilities in the energy and process industries. Flexora’s data enables better management of facilities and related processes, leading to increased resource efficiency. CTO Dr. Michael Sawatzki-Park explains: “We address the issue of limited availability of sensor data across large areas with a sensor film that contains numerous printed sensors and can adhere to virtually any surface like a second skin. Once applied, it can monitor various parameters such as temperature, pressure, or damage in real-time over extensive areas. Using a compact evaluation box — whose functionalities will eventually be integrated into the film itself — the collected data can be wirelessly transmitted over long distances.”

The sensor skin technology is based on a combination of proprietary sensors with organic thin-film electronics. This technology can be produced particularly cost-effectively using an additive roll-to-roll manufacturing process. Compared to conventional sensor technology, this approach offers not only cost advantages but also a better CO2 footprint due to lower material and energy consumption.

TGFS, in collaboration with TUDAG and another private investor, is investing a seven-figure amount in the company. The seed funding will be used to establish manufacturing capacities at the Dresden site and to support the company’s overall development. Sören Schuster, Managing Director of TGFS, comments on the transaction: “Most of the data used in industrial environment to monitor systems and processes is generated by physical sensors. However, existing sensor solutions on the market are typically designed to cover only a few localized measurement points. Challenges such as low flexibility, wiring, and poorly integrable designs persist. Flexora’s flexible sensor films offer customers a real added value in application. The highly motivated founding team has clearly convinced us with their innovative approach, and we are excited to drive this development forward together.”

Your contact person
Sören Schuster | Managing Director TGFS
M +49 172 2001097
soeren.schuster@cfh.de

TGFS deal team
Dr. Matthias Kalbus and Tam Dau