Pith. sign in

REVIEW 3 major objections 4 minor 60 references

ProForm: Solder-Free Circuit Assembly Using Thermoforming

T0 review · 3 major / 4 minor · reviewed 2026-08-06 · deepseek-v4-flash

Challenge this review Re-run · record.json Download PDF Read on arXiv ↗ Review JSON

Pith's one-line read ProForm is a solder-free circuit assembly method that pressure-forms a PETG layer over z-tape-mounted components to create reversible, electrically reliable connections.

desk verdict A genuinely new solder-free assembly method worth refereeing; the 'viable alternative to soldering' claim needs tempering and comparative data. read the letter →

arxiv 2507.20933 v1 pith:OZCXRPZE submitted 2025-07-28 cs.HC cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Narjes Pourjafarian , Zhenming Yang , Jeffrey I. Lipton , Benyamin Davaji , Gregory D. Abowd This is my paper · ORCID
classification cs.HCcond-mat.mtrl-sci
keywords ElectronicsPrototypingCircuitAssemblySustainabilityReuseThermoformingZ-tapeSMDSolder-free
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

ProForm aims to replace soldering in circuit prototyping with a thermoformed plastic shell. The paper's contention is that a heated PETG sheet pressed over a board whose surface-mount components are held in place by conductive z-tape yields secure, low-resistance, reversible connections. Because the plastic layer can be cut away or locally trimmed, components can be removed, replaced, or repurposed without desoldering, which the authors tie to reducing e-waste and speeding up iterative design. They report that the method works on rigid, flexible, paper, and curved substrates and survives events such as drops and water immersion, at least for packages with sufficiently large pads. If the central claim holds, circuit prototyping becomes a disassembly-friendly activity rather than a semi-permanent bonding step.

What carries the argument

The mechanism is the pairing of z-tape with a thermoformed PETG encapsulation layer. Z-tape (anisotropic conductive film) conducts electricity through its thickness but only when compressed with uniform pressure, and the thermoformed plastic shell supplies that pressure as it cools and shrinks over the board, while also locking the components mechanically. The thermoformed layer converts a global forming process into per-pad clamping force, which is what turns unreliable tape adhesion into a stable electrical contact. The arguments in the paper are carried by showing that this clamping force is uniform enough and strong enough across varied packages, substrates, and orientations.

What would settle it

Thermoform a test board carrying an array of 0603 resistors and a fine-pitch TSSOP multiplexer at the machine's maximum 63 psi, measure each connection's resistance, then cycle the board ten times between -20°C and 60°C with one-hour soaks; if any connection opens or its resistance more than doubles from the reported ~1.3 Ω baseline, the general 'viable alternative to soldering' claim fails for those geometries.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The central claim, stated in the conclusion, is that ProForm maintains good electrical performance and mechanical stability, making it a viable alternative to traditional soldering for prototyping. In the paper's own terms, a 1 mm PETG sheet thermoformed at 160°C and 58-63 psi over z-tape-mounted SMD components creates an assembly with average contact resistance around 1.3 Ω for 0603 and 1206 zero-ohm resistors, no observable attenuation of sine waves up to 10 MHz, steady current near 1 A through a power MOSFET for one hour, full function after 152 days under continuous power, unchanged output across ten disassembly/reassembly cycles, and survival of drops from up to 2 m. The same shell seals a board against 24 hours of submersion. The paper presents BGA as a boundary case: pads too small for z-tape contact area fail, so the general claim is made for packages with adequate pad geometry rather than for all SMD packages.

Load-bearing premise

The load-bearing premise is that the thermoformed PETG layer reliably presses every z-tape contact with enough uniform force to keep resistance low for every package geometry, which the paper itself shows does not hold for BGA pads.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • Prototypes can be disassembled in minutes with scissors, a hot knife, or a laser cutter, so working components move directly from one board to the next.
  • SMD parts can be temporarily mounted on adapter boards, programmed, tested, and then lifted off and reused, removing the need for dedicated programming headers.
  • The method extends solder-free assembly to paper, flexible, and non-planar circuits where soldering is impractical, so long as pad sizes give z-tape enough contact area.
  • Boards thermoformed on both sides become sealed, water-resistant units without a separate housing, protecting traces from dust and moisture.
  • The spent PETG layer can be used as a placement stencil for the next board, so the same assembly step supports batch fabrication.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If ProForm works as claimed, the same thermoformed-shell trick could be generalized to other pressure-activated connector technologies, allowing connectors, batteries, or sensors to be mounted and remounted on arbitrary surfaces.
  • The BGA failure suggests a concrete boundary: packages whose pads fall below a contact-area threshold will not work, so future reliability claims should be reported per package class rather than for the method as a whole.
  • The sustainability argument implicitly requires that each PETG layer enables at least one or two genuine component reuses, because the environmental comparison to soldering is sketched rather than fully measured in the paper.
  • Because the PETG layer stiffens flexible circuits, a natural testable extension is to use thinner or patterned films or alternative thermoformable polymers that preserve substrate flexibility.
Share X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit HN

Signed reviews

No signed human review yet.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

3 major / 4 minor

Summary. ProForm is a solder-free SMD assembly technique in which components are placed on PCB pads with anisotropic conductive z-tape and then encapsulated by a thermoformed PETG sheet under applied pressure. The paper argues that this provides secure, reversible, and reusable mounting across rigid, flexible, paper-based, and non-planar substrates, with good electrical performance and mechanical stability. The evaluation reports contact resistance around 1.3 Ω, unattenuated 100 kHz–10 MHz signals, operation at roughly 0.95–0.98 A for one hour, a 152-day continuously powered board, 24-hour water submersion, drop tests from up to 200 cm, and ten reassembly cycles, together with seven application examples. The conclusion characterizes ProForm as a viable alternative to traditional soldering.

Significance. The paper is a strong systems contribution for UIST: the fabrication process is simple and reproducible, the seven applications demonstrate real versatility, and the quantitative experiments on resistance, aging, reuse cycles, current tolerance, and drop robustness give a credible feasibility basis. The authors also explicitly acknowledge important boundaries, including BGA failure, the 63 psi pressure limit, lack of THT support, and the rigidity introduced by PETG. The work contains no derivation-from-fit circularity; the thickness and pressure choices are clearly described as design decisions. As stated, however, the central viability claim exceeds the evidence: there is no soldered control, and the load-bearing pressure-transmission mechanism is never measured at the component-pad scale. The paper would be a solid contribution if the claim were scoped to moderate-pitch SMD prototyping or if the missing control and pressure/contact characterizations were added.

major comments (3)
  1. [§4.1 and §7] The conclusion that ProForm is 'a viable alternative to traditional soldering' is not supported by the evaluation as reported. Section 4.1 measures resistance, signal integrity, and current tolerance only for ProFormed assemblies; there is no soldered control or literature baseline for contact resistance, signal attenuation, or mechanical retention. An average of 1.32 Ω across a zero-ohm resistor (Section 4.1.1) may be acceptable for prototyping, but the comparative claim requires either direct comparison with soldered joints or a scoped statement. I recommend replacing the conclusion with a scoped claim, for example 'a viable solder-free prototyping method for moderate-pitch SMD packages such as SOIC, TSSOP, TQFP, and QFN,' or adding a soldered-control experiment.
  2. [§3.1, §3.4, §4.1.4, §6] The load-bearing mechanism of the method is uniform compressive pressure transmitted through the thermoformed PETG to the z-tape bond lines, yet the paper only reports the forming chamber pressure (55–63 psi in Section 3.4) and never measures the pressure or contact resistance at individual component pads. The empirical boundaries in Section 4.1.4, where BGA failed because of limited pad area, and in Section 6, where 63 psi is stated to be insufficient for significantly deformed or misaligned pins, show that pressure transmission is package-dependent. Please add direct evidence, such as pressure-sensitive film measurements or per-pad contact-resistance surveys across package sizes and pin geometries, or explicitly limit the scope of the viability claim to the package classes demonstrated.
  3. [§4.1.4] The package-type study stops at qualitative pass/fail and does not quantify the pad-size or pitch threshold that separates QFN (works) from BGA (fails). Reporting pad dimensions, pitch, and contact resistance for each package would let readers determine the applicable range and would make the Section 6 statement about small pad geometries actionable. This is not a demand for full statistical rigor across every package, but the threshold is central to the claimed generality of the method.
minor comments (4)
  1. [§3.2 and §3.4] Section 3.2 states that the thermoforming process lasts 210 seconds, while Section 3.4 reports a 120-second forming cycle followed by a 90-second cooling phase; please align the wording so the reader knows whether 210 seconds includes cooling.
  2. [§4.1.1] In the no-thermoforming comparison, the text refers to a '1205 resistor'; this appears to be a typo for the 1206 package. In addition, the 'Ω/□' notation is unusual for a two-terminal resistor, so please replace it with a plain resistance value.
  3. [§4.1.5] The aging study is described with a single ProFormed board; if only one board was tested, please state this explicitly and label the result as a case study, or provide the number of boards and the failure criterion used.
  4. [§4.2.2] The drop test reports one PCB assembly across heights from 50 to 200 cm; please specify whether more than one assembly was tested and whether components or pads were inspected after each drop, not only whether the board remained functional.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No significant circularity: ProForm's claims are supported by direct measurements and demonstrations, not by a fit-to-prediction or self-citation chain.

full rationale

The paper makes an empirical claim: thermoformed PETG, combined with z-tape, can secure SMD components for solder-free prototyping. The evaluation consists of direct electrical resistance measurements (Section 4.1.1), signal integrity tests (Section 4.1.2), high-current tests (Section 4.1.3), package-type tests (Section 4.1.4), aging and thermal stress tests (Sections 4.1.5-4.1.6), reusability cycling (Section 4.1.7), and mechanical robustness tests (Section 4.2). These are measured outcomes, not predictions derived from fitted parameters. The selection of 1 mm PETG in Section 3.4 was based on an explicit comparison of measured averages and standard deviations (0.5 mm: 15.8 Ω, SD 7.39 Ω; 1 mm: 1.13 Ω, SD 0.18 Ω; 1.5 mm: 0.85 Ω, SD 0.44 Ω), which is a design choice after data collection, not a circular fit to a target claim. The pressure setting (55-63 psi, with 58 psi preferred) was similarly chosen after observing sharper details and more reliable connections; this is optimization of a process parameter, not a prediction validated by construction. The paper does not invoke a uniqueness theorem, does not define ProForm in terms of its claimed outcome, and does not hide a fitted parameter as a prediction. The load-bearing requirement that z-tape be compressed uniformly is attributed to an external 3M datasheet [1], not to the authors' prior work. Several works by overlapping authors appear in the related-work section, but none of these citations is load-bearing for the central result. The conclusion that ProForm is 'a viable alternative to traditional soldering' is broader than the measured evidence, especially given the BGA failure (Section 4.1.4) and the stated 63 psi limitation for deformed or misaligned pins (Section 6), but that is a question of evidential sufficiency and claim scope, not circularity. The paper is self-contained as an empirical demonstration with honest reporting of limits, including the explicit statement that 'further evaluation is needed to characterize performance under higher currents and extended usage durations' (Section 4.1.3). Therefore, the circularity score is 0.

Assumptions & free parameters 2 free parameters · 3 assumptions · 0 invented entities

The central claim rests on two load-bearing assumptions: that compressed z-tape makes reliable electrical contact, and that the thermoformed layer transmits enough pressure to hold small components in place. Both are tested on a few packages but are not universal (BGA fails). The process parameters (1 mm PETG, 58-63 psi) were selected empirically rather than derived.

free parameters (2)
  • PETG sheet thickness = 1 mm
    Chosen after comparing 0.5, 1, and 1.5 mm sheets (Section 3.4). 0.5 mm gave variable resistance (15.8 ohms average, SD 7.39), while 1 and 1.5 mm were similar; 1 mm was picked to reduce material use. This is a design choice, not a fitted model parameter.
  • Forming pressure = 58-63 psi
    Tested 55-63 psi in Section 3.4; above 58 psi produced sharper details and more reliable electrical connections. Another empirical process choice rather than a derived constant.
assumptions (3)
  • domain assumption Z-tape (anisotropic conductive film) conducts through thickness only when compressed, and the thermoformed PETG layer provides that compression.
    Central to the electrical contact mechanism; based on the 3M datasheet [1] and the paper's own tests, but not independently verified in this work beyond the mounted samples.
  • domain assumption The thermoforming conditions (160 degrees Celsius, 58-63 psi, 120 s) do not damage or displace SMD components before the PETG solidifies.
    Demonstrated for the tested packages, but the paper notes BGA and small-pad parts fail (Section 4.1.4), so this assumption is package-dependent.
  • domain assumption PETG is sufficiently transparent, recyclable, and rigid to serve as a protective and structural layer without interfering with circuit function.
    Supported by manufacturer data [38] and the paper's demonstrations; PETG's rigidity is acknowledged to reduce flexibility of flexible circuits (Section 6).

how reviews work

0 comments
Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of ProForm: Solder-Free Circuit Assembly Using Thermoforming." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/OZCXRPZE

@misc{pith2026250720933,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: ProForm: Solder-Free Circuit Assembly Using Thermoforming},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/OZCXRPZE}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:2507.20933}
}
read the original abstract

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing global challenge, with millions of functional components discarded due to the difficulty of repair and reuse. Traditional circuit assembly relies on soldering, which creates semi-permanent bonds that limit component recovery and contribute to unnecessary waste. We introduce ProForm, a thermoforming approach for solder-free circuit prototyping. By encapsulating electronic components with pressure-formed thermoplastics, ProForm enables secure, reversible mounting without the need for solder or custom mechanical housings. This approach supports a wide range of substrates, including flexible, paper-based, and non-planar circuits, facilitating easy reuse, replacement, and rapid prototyping. We demonstrate ProForm's versatility to support prototyping practices. We show that ProFormed circuits exhibit good electrical performance and mechanical stability. While motivated by a need for sustainable electronics practices, ProForm has other significant advantages over traditional soldering.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2507.20933 by the authors.

Figure 1
Figure 1. ProForm—A thermoforming approach for solder-free prototyping of electronic circuits. (a) The process involves assembling SMD components on a PCB and thermoforming a protective thermoplastic layer to secure them. The ProFormed circuit is immediately functional. Later, the thermoplastic layer can be removed to enable the reuse of components. (b, c) ProForm facilitates seamless integration of electronics into interacti… view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. ProForming process: (a) Mounting SMD components [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. (a, b) Removing the thermoplastic layer to access [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p004_3.png] view at source ↗
Figures from the paper (4 more)
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: (a) ProForm enables SMD-to-THT conversion using adapter PCBs, (b) compatible with breadboards and proto￾boards. (c) Prototyping with SMD components directly on SMT pads is also supported. circuit on a breadboard with through-hole (THT) components. How￾ever, this method…
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: (a) Top: the PCB used for validating various ATtiny SMD packages. Bottom: adapter PCBs are used to test different [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_6.png]
Figure 7
Figure 7. Figure 7: Reusing electronic components (Section 5.1): (a, b) a smart switch initially built for a cupboard; (c) repurposing the used components into a hydration reminder device, embedded in a cup holder base; (d) if the cup remains untouched, the LED turns red. Interactive wris…
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: (a, b) A pen holder with an integrated clock: elec [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p008_8.png]

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

60 extracted references · 27 canonical work pages

  1. [1]

    Electrically Conductive Adhesive Transfer Tape

    3M. 2015. "Electrically Conductive Adhesive Transfer Tape". https://cdn- shop.adafruit.com/datasheets/3m%209703.pdf

    work page 2015

  2. [2]

    Ruchi Aradhana, Smita Mohanty, and Sanjay Kumar Nayak. 2020. A review on epoxy-based electrically conductive adhesives. International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives 99 (2020), 102596. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijadhadh.2020.102596

    work page arXiv 2020

  3. [3]

    Cornelis P Baldé, Ruediger Kuehr, Tales Yamamoto, Rosie McDonald, Elena D’Angelo, Shahana Althaf, Garam Bel, Otmar Deubzer, Elena Fernandez-Cubillo, Vanessa Forti, et al. 2024. The global e-waste monitor. United Nations University (UNU), International Telecommunication Union (ITU) & International Solid Waste Association (ISW A), Geneva/Bonn(2024), 1–147

    work page 2024

  4. [4]

    Ayah Bdeir. 2009. Electronics as material: littleBits. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction(Cambridge, United Kingdom) (TEI ’09). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 397–400. https://doi.org/10.1145/1517664.1517743

    work page arXiv 2009

  5. [5]

    Leah Buechley, Sue Hendrix, and Mike Eisenberg. 2009. Paints, Paper, and Programs: First Steps toward the Computational Sketchbook. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction (Cambridge, United Kingdom) (TEI ’09). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 9–12. https://doi.org/10.1145/1517664.1517670

    arXiv 2009

  6. [6]

    SMTpads-Surface mount proto PCBs

    BusBoard. 2024. "SMTpads-Surface mount proto PCBs". https://www.mouser. com/datasheet/2/58/BPS_DAT__SMTpads__Datasheet-766091.pdf

    work page 2024

  7. [7]

    Varun Perumal C and Daniel Wigdor. 2015. Printem: Instant Printed Circuit Boards with Standard Office Printers and amp; Inks. In Proceedings of the 28th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and amp; Technology (Char- lotte, NC, USA) (UIST ’15). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 243–251. https://doi.org/10.1145/2807442.2807511

    arXiv 2015

  8. [8]

    Ta, Takuya Sasatani, Eric Markvicka, Yoshihiro Kawahara, Lining Yao, Gregory D

    Tingyu Cheng, Koya Narumi, Youngwook Do, Yang Zhang, Tung D. Ta, Takuya Sasatani, Eric Markvicka, Yoshihiro Kawahara, Lining Yao, Gregory D. Abowd, and HyunJoo Oh. 2020. Silver Tape: Inkjet-Printed Circuits Peeled- and-Transferred on Versatile Substrates. Proceedings of the ACM on Inter- active, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies 4, 1 (March 202...

    doi:10.1145/3381013 2020

Show all 60 references
  1. [9]

    Abowd, Hyunjoo Oh, and Andreea Danielescu

    Tingyu Cheng, Taylor Tabb, Jung Wook Park, Eric M Gallo, Aditi Maheshwari, Gregory D. Abowd, Hyunjoo Oh, and Andreea Danielescu. 2023. Functional Destruction: Utilizing Sustainable Materials’ Physical Transiency for Electronics Applications. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conf...

    2023

  2. [10]

    Tingyu Cheng, Zhihan Zhang, Han Huang, Yingting Gao, Wei Sun, Gregory D Abowd, HyunJoo Oh, and Josiah Hester. 2024. Recy-ctronics: Designing Fully Recyclable Electronics With Varied Form Factors. arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.09611 (2024)

    2024 arXiv

  3. [12]

    Kayla DesPortes, Aditya Anupam, Neeti Pathak, and Betsy DiSalvo. 2016. Bit- Blox: A Redesign of the Breadboard. In Proceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (Manchester, United Kingdom) (IDC ’16). Association for Computing Machiner...

    2016

  4. [13]

    JR Geibig and ML Socolof. 2005. Solders in Electronics: A Life-Cycle Assessment Summary

    2005

  5. [14]

    Saul Greenberg and Chester Fitchett. 2001. Phidgets: easy development of physical interfaces through physical widgets. In Proceedings of the 14th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (Orlando, Florida) (UIST ’01). Association for Computing Machinery, ...

    2001

  6. [15]

    Daniel Groeger and Jürgen Steimle. 2018. ObjectSkin: Augmenting Everyday Objects with Hydroprinted Touch Sensors and Displays. Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies 1, 4 (Jan. 2018), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1145/3161165

    2018 doi

  7. [16]

    Daniel Groeger and Jürgen Steimle. 2019. LASEC: Instant Fabrication of Stretch- able Circuits Using a Laser Cutter. In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Glasgow, Scotland Uk) (CHI ’19) . Association for Computing Machinery, New York,...

    2019

  8. [17]

    Ollie Hanton, Zichao Shen, Mike Fraser, and Anne Roudaut. 2022. FabricatINK: Personal Fabrication of Bespoke Displays Using Electronic Ink from Upcycled E Readers. In Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New Orleans, LA, USA)(CHI ’22). ...

    2022 doi

  9. [18]

    Steve Hodges, Nicolas Villar, Nicholas Chen, Tushar Chugh, Jie Qi, Diana Nowacka, and Yoshihiro Kawahara. 2014. Circuit stickers: peel-and-stick con- struction of interactive electronic prototypes. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Con- ference on Human Factors in Computing Systems...

    2014

  10. [19]

    Jackson and Laewoo Kang

    Steven J. Jackson and Laewoo Kang. 2014. Breakdown, obsolescence and reuse: HCI and the art of repair. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) (CHI ’14). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 44...

    2014

  11. [20]

    Cook, Cheng Zhang, and Gre- gory D

    Yoshihiro Kawahara, Steve Hodges, Benjamin S. Cook, Cheng Zhang, and Gre- gory D. Abowd. 2013. Instant Inkjet Circuits: Lab-Based Inkjet Printing to Support Rapid Prototyping of UbiComp Devices. In Proceedings of the 2013 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubi...

    2013

  12. [21]

    Arshad Khan, Joan Sol Roo, Tobias Kraus, and Jürgen Steimle. 2019. Soft Inkjet Circuits: Rapid Multi-Material Fabrication of Soft Circuits Using a Commodity Inkjet Printer. InProceedings of the 32nd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (New Orleans, L...

    2019

  13. [22]

    Sunyoung Kim and Eric Paulos. 2011. Practices in the creative reuse of e-waste. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Vancouver, BC, Canada) (CHI ’11). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 2395–2404. https://doi.org/1...

    2011

  14. [23]

    Donghyeon Ko, Yoonji Kim, Junyi Zhu, Michael Wessely, and Stefanie Mueller

  15. [25]

    Jakub Kočí. 2022. Introducing Prusament PETG recycled with calculated life cycle assessment! https://blog.prusa3d.com/introducing-prusament-petg-recycled- with-calculated-life-cycle-assessment_65806/

    2022

  16. [26]

    Mannu Lambrichts, Jose Maria Tijerina, and Raf Ramakers. 2020. SoftMod: A Soft Modular Plug-and-Play Kit for Prototyping Electronic Systems. In Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (Sydney NSW, Australia) (TEI ’...

    2020

  17. [28]

    Jasmine Lu and Pedro Lopes. 2024. Unmaking Electronic Waste. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. 31, 6, Article 77 (Dec. 2024), 30 pages. https://doi.org/10. 1145/3674505

    2024

  18. [29]

    Qiuyu Lu, Semina Yi, Mengtian Gan, Jihong Huang, Xiao Zhang, Yue Yang, Chenyi Shen, and Lining Yao. 2024. Degrade to Function: Towards Eco-friendly Morphing Devices that Function Through Programmed Sequential Degradation. In Proceedings of the 37th Annual ACM Symposium on User...

    2024

  19. [30]

    Robert Maccurdy, Anthony Mcnicoll, and Hod Lipson. 2014. Bitblox: Printable digital materials for electromechanical machines. Int. J. Rob. Res. 33, 10 (Sept. 2014), 1342–1360. https://doi.org/10.1177/0278364914532149

    2014 doi

  20. [31]

    Maurice, Khang Ngoc Dinh, Nicolas M

    Ange A. Maurice, Khang Ngoc Dinh, Nicolas M. Charpentier, Andrea Brambilla, and Jean-Christophe P. Gabriel. 2021. Dismantling of Printed Circuit Boards Enabling Electronic Components Sorting and Their Subsequent Treatment Open Improved Elemental Sustainability Opportunities. S...

    2021 doi

  21. [32]

    Mayku Multiplier Materials TDS

    Mayku. 2023. "Mayku Multiplier Materials TDS". https://mayku.me/materials

    2023

  22. [33]

    Mellis, Sam Jacoby, Leah Buechley, Hannah Perner-Wilson, and Jie Qi

    David A. Mellis, Sam Jacoby, Leah Buechley, Hannah Perner-Wilson, and Jie Qi

  23. [34]

    Koya Narumi, Steve Hodges, and Yoshihiro Kawahara. 2015. ConductAR: An Augmented Reality Based Tool for Iterative Design of Conductive Ink Circuits. In ProForm: Solder-Free Circuit Assembly Using Thermoforming UIST ’25, September 28-October 1, 2025, Busan, Republic of Korea Pr...

    2015

  24. [35]

    Madalina Nicolae, Vivien Roussel, Marion Koelle, Samuel Huron, Jürgen Steimle, and Marc Teyssier. 2023. Biohybrid Devices: Prototyping Interactive Devices with Growable Materials. In Proceedings of the 36th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (San Fr...

    2023

  25. [36]

    Emmanuel A Oke and Herman Potgieter. 2024. Discarded e-waste/printed circuit boards: a review of their recent methods of disassembly, sorting and environmen- tal implications. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 26, 3 (2024), 1277–1293

    2024

  26. [37]

    Simon Olberding, Michael Wessely, and Jürgen Steimle. 2014. PrintScreen: fabri- cating highly customizable thin-film touch-displays. In Proceedings of the 27th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology - UIST ’14. ACM Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 281–290....

    2014

  27. [38]

    VIVAK PETG SHEET

    PLASKOLITE. 2023. "VIVAK PETG SHEET". https://plaskolite.com/catalog/vivak

    2023

  28. [39]

    Narjes Pourjafarian, Marion Koelle, Bruno Fruchard, Sahar Mavali, Konstantin Klamka, Daniel Groeger, Paul Strohmeier, and Jürgen Steimle. 2021. BodyStylus: Freehand On-Body Design and Fabrication of Epidermal Interfaces. InProceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Human Factor...

    2021

  29. [41]

    Narjes Pourjafarian, Fjolla Mjaku, Marion Koelle, Martin Schmitz, Jan Borchers, and Jürgen Steimle. 2023. Handheld Tools Unleashed: Mixed-Initiative Physical Sketching with a Robotic Printer. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Hamb...

    2023

  30. [42]

    Soldering Tips

    Hakko Products. 2024. "Soldering Tips". https://hakkousa.com/products/ soldering/soldering-tips.html?tips_type=31

    2024

  31. [43]

    Valkyrie Savage, Xiaohan Zhang, and Björn Hartmann. 2012. Midas: Fabricating Custom Capacitive Touch Sensors to Prototype Interactive Objects. InProceedings of the 25th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) (UIST ’12). A...

    2012

  32. [44]

    Katherine W Song, Aditi Maheshwari, Eric M Gallo, Andreea Danielescu, and Eric Paulos. 2022. Towards Decomposable Interactive Systems: Design of a Backyard-Degradable Wireless Heating Interface. In Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (N...

    2022

  33. [45]

    Katherine W Song and Eric Paulos. 2021. Unmaking: Enabling and Celebrating the Creative Material of Failure, Destruction, Decay, and Deformation. InProceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Yokohama, Japan) (CHI ’21). Association for Computi...

    2021

  34. [46]

    Katherine Wei Song and Eric Paulos. 2023. Vim: Customizable, Decomposable Electrical Energy Storage. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Hamburg, Germany) (CHI ’23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 18...

    2023

  35. [47]

    Lazaro Vasquez and Katia Vega

    Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez and Katia Vega. 2019. From plastic to biomaterials: proto- typing DIY electronics with mycelium. In Adjunct Proceedings of the 2019 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceed- ings of the 2019 ACM International S...

    2019

  36. [48]

    Lazaro Vasquez and Katia Vega

    Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez and Katia Vega. 2019. Myco-accessories: sustainable wearables with biodegradable materials. In Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Interna- tional Symposium on Wearable Computers (London, United Kingdom) (ISWC ’19). Association for Computing Machinery, New York,...

    2019

  37. [49]

    Nicolas Villar, James Scott, Steve Hodges, Kerry Hammil, and Colin Miller. 2012. . net gadgeteer: A platform for custom devices. In Pervasive Computing: 10th Inter- national Conference, Pervasive 2012, Newcastle, UK, June 18-22, 2012. Proceedings

    2012

  38. [50]

    Qi Wang, Nan Huang, Zhuo Chen, Xiaowen Chen, Hanying Cai, and Yunpeng Wu. 2023. Environmental data and facts in the semiconductor manufacturing industry: An unexpected high water and energy consumption situation. Water Cycle 4 (2023), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watcyc.20...

    2023 doi

  39. [51]

    Jennifer Weiler, Piyum Fernando, Nipuni Siyambalapitiya, and Stacey Kuznetsov

  40. [52]

    Snowden, Ollie Hanton, Isabel P

    Michael Wessely, Ticha Sethapakdi, Carlos Castillo, Jackson C. Snowden, Ollie Hanton, Isabel P. S. Qamar, Mike Fraser, Anne Roudaut, and Stefanie Mueller

  41. [53]

    Irmandy Wicaksono, Aditi Maheshwari, Don Derek Haddad, Joseph Paradiso, and Andreea Danielescu. 2024. Design and Fabrication of Multifunctional E- Textiles by Upcycling Waste Cotton Fabrics through Carbonization. Proc. ACM Interact. Mob. Wearable Ubiquitous Technol. 8, 2, Arti...

    2024 doi

  42. [54]

    Shanel Wu and Laura Devendorf. 2020. Unfabricate: Designing Smart Textiles for Disassembly. In Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Honolulu, HI, USA) (CHI ’20). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1–14. https://doi....

    2020

  43. [55]

    Zeyu Yan, SuHwan Hong, Josiah Hester, Tingyu Cheng, and Huaishu Peng

  44. [57]

    Zeyu Yan, Anup Sathya, Sahra Yusuf, Jyh-Ming Lien, and Huaishu Peng. 2022. Fibercuit: Prototyping High-Resolution Flexible and Kirigami Circuits with a Fiber Laser Engraver. In Proceedings of the 35th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (Bend, OR, US...

    2022

  45. [58]

    Zhihan Zhang, Agni K Biswal, Ankush Nandi, Kali Frost, Jake A Smith, Bichlien H Nguyen, Shwetak Patel, Aniruddh Vashisth, and Vikram Iyer. 2024. Recyclable vitrimer-based printed circuit boards for sustainable electronics. Nature Sustain- ability 7, 5 (2024), 616–627

    2024

  46. [59]

    Junyi Zhu, Lotta-Gili Blumberg, Yunyi Zhu, Martin Nisser, Ethan Levi Carlson, Xin Wen, Kevin Shum, Jessica Ayeley Quaye, and Stefanie Mueller. 2020. Curve- Boards: Integrating Breadboards into Physical Objects to Prototype Function in the Context of Form. In Proceedings of the...

    2020

  47. [60]

    Jingwen Zhu, Lily Winagle, and Hsin-Liu (Cindy) Kao. 2024. EcoThreads: Pro- totyping Biodegradable E-textiles Through Thread-based Fabrication. In Pro- ceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Honolulu, HI, USA) (CHI ’24). Association for Comp...

    2024

  48. [61]

    Junyi Zhu, Yunyi Zhu, Jiaming Cui, Leon Cheng, Jackson Snowden, Mark Choun- lakone, Michael Wessely, and Stefanie Mueller. 2020. MorphSensor: A 3D Elec- tronic Design Tool for Reforming Sensor Modules. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software ...

    2020

  49. [2013]

    Untoolkit

    Microcontrollers as Material: Crafting Circuits with Paper, Conductive Ink, Electronic Components, and an “Untoolkit”. InProceedings of the 7th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (Barcelona, Spain) (TEI ’13). Association for Computing Machi...

  50. [2019]

    In Companion Publication of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2019 Companion (San Diego, CA, USA) (DIS ’19 Companion)

    Mycelium Artifacts: Exploring Shapeable and Accessible Biofabrication. In Companion Publication of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference 2019 Companion (San Diego, CA, USA) (DIS ’19 Companion) . Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 69–72. http...

    2019

  51. [2023]

    In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Hamburg, Germany) (CHI ’23)

    FlexBoard: A Flexible Breadboard for Interaction Prototyping on Curved and Deformable Surfaces. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Hamburg, Germany) (CHI ’23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 733, 13...

    2023

  52. [2025]

    In Proceedings of the 38th Annual ACM Sym- posium on User Interface Software and Technology (Busan, Republic of Korea) (UIST ’25)

    DissolvPCB: Fully Recyclable 3D-Printed Electronics with Liquid Metal Conductors and PVA Substrates. In Proceedings of the 38th Annual ACM Sym- posium on User Interface Software and Technology (Busan, Republic of Korea) (UIST ’25). Association for Computing Machinery, New York...

Pith tools

Reviewed August 6, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.