Dispenser-printed sound-emitting fabrics for applications in the creative fashion and smart architecture industry

This paper reports direct write dispenser printed sound emitting smart fabrics aimed at creative fashion applications and smart architecture. Planar spiral speakers generate a membrane vibration and so emit sound when driven from an a.c. audio source if a magnet is in close proximity to the spiral. The speaker designs were printed on polyester cotton fabric and produced a measured peak sound output level of 85 dB referenced to a reference sound pressure in air of 2×10-5 Pa. The printed fabric speakers demonstrate a wide frequency response from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. This research demonstrates a straightforward fabrication method to achieve sound emission from a fabric. The fabrication process requires a processing temperature of 130 oC for 10 minutes which is compatible with many fabrics. It also offers complete freedom of the creative design. This fabrication method is a direct write technique offering no waste and achieves a conductor resistivity of 7.69×10-6 ?·m . This paper reports on the theory and the manufacturing technology to achieve direct write dispenser printed planar spiral speakers on fabrics.