Bopla Transparent Foil Heaters for Harsh Outdoor Environments
Transparent foil heaters from Bopla
Transparent foil heaters from Bopla GmbH are engineered for harsh outdoor weather conditions and extreme temperature fluctuations. In demanding applications, optical cameras and sensors must deliver reliable performance despite rain, snow, humidity, or rapid temperature changes. To remain fully operational, the camera’s field of view must stay completely free from condensation, fog, and ice—any obstruction can compromise functionality and create serious safety risks.
The solution: Transparent foil heaters
Bopla’s transparent foil heaters provide an effective and virtually invisible heating layer that protects the lens and sensor field of view from external environmental influences. They prevent ice buildup, fogging, and moisture, ensuring maximum optical clarity and transparency at all times. With these heaters, cameras and sensors maintain reliable performance even in the toughest outdoor environments.
Smart Heating – Transparent Foil Heaters
Transparent foil heaters are thin, flexible heating films that generate heat efficiently through electrical current. Built using high-conductivity materials embedded in a transparent carrier foil, they offer excellent thermal performance while maintaining maximum optical transparency. This makes them virtually invisible once integrated into surfaces.
Their lightweight and ultra-thin design enables easy installation even on irregular or curved surfaces. With precise, uniform heat distribution, transparent foil heaters deliver energy-efficient heating by warming only the areas that truly need it—such as cameras, sensors, touch displays, and optical systems.
Thanks to the robust metal-mesh technology used in their construction, these heaters are highly durable and ideally suited for long-term outdoor use, even under extreme temperatures and weather conditions.
Metal-Mesh Technology
Metal-mesh technology enables the production of highly transparent, homogeneous, and conductive heating films. This is achieved by printing fine silver wires onto a film coated with an ultra-thin transparent layer of copper and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Thanks to these advanced materials, the heaters deliver significantly lower resistance values compared to traditional technologies and can operate at low voltages, even on battery power. The result: high heat output with minimal energy consumption.
With a transparency of over 90% in the 400–900 nm wavelength range and resistances as low as 1 Ω/sq, metal-mesh technology is ideal for robust, high-performance transparent heaters. These characteristics also make the technology perfectly suited for LiDAR and radar systems, which are increasingly important in automated and autonomous applications operating in harsh environments.
Offering power densities up to 3000 W/m² and peak temperatures of up to 85°C, metal-mesh heaters support a wide range of demanding outdoor and industrial applications, from optics and sensing to advanced machine vision systems.
“Film heaters based on transparent electronics offer numerous advantages. With metal-mesh technology, we achieve significantly lower resistance values while increasing production efficiency. Smart heating enables the same heat output with lower power consumption — saving users both energy and valuable time.”
— Sebastian Gepp, Head of Printed Electronics Development at KUNDISCH
Technical data
– Up to 3000 W/m2 and 85°C
– Transparency up to 93%
– Functional for camera, lidar and radar
– Specific resistance of 1 Ohm/square
– Film can be finished by screen printing
– Flexible and easy to integrate
– Can be structured as required
– Size 250x430mm, special size on request
– Small quantities already economical
– Wide range of applications
What Are the Advantages of Metal-Mesh Technology?
Manufacturing transparent foil heaters requires materials that are simultaneously highly conductive and highly transparent—a combination that is difficult to achieve with conventional technologies. Metal-mesh technology solves this challenge.
Using this approach, we produce homogeneous, transparent, and conductive films through a multilayer printing process. Two ultra-fine silver conductor lines are printed onto the foil to carry electrical current. Between these conductors lies a transparent functional coating made from a mixture of micrometer-thin copper and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This layer delivers excellent conductivity while remaining nearly invisible.
Compared to traditional materials such as ITO (indium tin oxide), metal-mesh films offer significantly lower resistance values, enabling the same heating performance with substantially lower power consumption. As a result, transparent foil heaters reach their target temperature extremely quickly, saving both energy and time for the user.
Another major benefit is design flexibility. Using established printing processes, the heating structure can be precisely tailored to customer-specific requirements. A simple rectangular coating is not always ideal for achieving the desired heating output with defined electrical parameters. Metal-mesh technology allows us to customize the geometry, resistance, and heating characteristics to match each application perfectly.
In addition, this technology enables much higher productivity than traditional manufacturing methods, improving scalability and cost efficiency.
Contact ETM4U for More Information
To learn more about transparent foil heaters for harsh outdoor weather conditions and extreme temperature fluctuations, contact ETM4U. In demanding applications, optical cameras and sensors must continually withstand challenging environments. Their field of view must remain free from condensation, fog, and ice to ensure reliable operation—any obstruction can quickly lead to functional issues or system failures.
ETM4U provides expert guidance and solutions to keep your cameras, sensors, and optical systems fully operational in even the toughest conditions.
