Technical Embroidery Smart Textiles New Generation

EP-30 PCB Placement Device

Place. Fix. Connect. Automatically.

Integrate electronics directly into the embroidery process.
The ZSK EP-30 automatically places, mechanically fixes and electrically connects rigid and flexible PCBs directly on textile substrates.

Instead of adding electronic components manually after the textile process, PCB integration becomes part of the embroidery workflow itself — repeatable, programmable and scalable across the complete embroidery field.

From experimental Smart Textile prototypes to pilot production, small series and mass production, the EP-30 creates a direct path from idea to a repeatable process.

Discuss Your Application Watch the EP-30 in Action

ZSK embroidery head with the EP-30 PCB placement device and its control panel mounted on the machine — The EP-30 is mounted directly on the ZSK F-head — with its own control panel for digital setup.

Video

See the EP-30 in Action

Watch how the EP-30 automatically feeds, positions, fixes and connects electronic components directly within the embroidery process.

EP-30 PCB Placement Device — 34 seconds

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The challenge

Electronics Integration Is Often Still a Manual Step

Developing an electronic textile is one challenge. Creating the same textile again — with the electronic components in the same position and connected in the same way — is another.

Manual PCB placement can work well for individual prototypes. But as the number of samples increases, it creates additional handling, depends on operator accuracy and becomes increasingly difficult to transfer into a repeatable production process.

The EP-30 was developed to automate exactly this step.

Close-up of a rigid PCB carrier being placed and contacted on a textile substrate — Placement, mechanical fixation and electrical contacting take place in one embroidery run.

Manual PCB integration compared with the EP-30 process
Aspect	Manual placement	EP-30 process
Component supply	Each PCB handled individually	Automatic feed from an exchangeable cassette
Positioning	Aligned by hand, accuracy depends on the operator	Encoder-controlled, digitally defined position
Fixation & contacting	Separate assembly step after embroidery	Inside the embroidery run, with conductive thread
Changeover	Mechanical readjustment for every PCB format	Digital setup in 0.1 mm increments, settings can be saved
Scaling up	Effort grows with every additional sample	Same process from prototype to mass production

One integrated process

One Integrated Process Instead of Separate Assembly Steps

With the EP-30, PCB placement becomes part of the embroidery sequence.

PCBs are supplied from an exchangeable cassette, automatically picked up and positioned on the textile. The embroidery machine then mechanically fixes the PCB and creates its electrical connections using conductive thread.

Less manual component handling

Automated feeding and placement replace repeated hand-positioning of individual PCB carriers.

Repeatable positioning

Encoder-controlled positioning provides a digitally controlled process instead of relying on manual alignment.

Integrated electrical connection

Placement, mechanical fixation and electrical contacting take place within the embroidery workflow.

A process designed to scale

The same fundamental manufacturing approach carries from individual prototypes through validation and pilot projects to small series and mass production.

New generation

Digital Setup Instead of Mechanical Trial and Error

The most important step forward compared with the previous generation: almost every motion of the device is now set digitally — in 0.1 mm increments — and every setting can be saved.

Instead of loosening screws and re-adjusting mechanical stops for each new PCB format, the operator enters the values on the EP-30 control panel. Magazine height, pusher travel and the up/down and back/forth positions of the PCB shuttle are all defined numerically, confirmed on the display and stored in the device.

Once a PCB format runs reliably, its settings are recalled instead of being re-established manually for every changeover — the same value produces the same result on every machine and every shift.

The EP-30 control panel with display, plus and minus keys and the adjustment keys for magazine, pusher unit and PCB shuttle — Magazine, pusher unit and PCB shuttle are adjusted on the EP-30 control panel — in 0.1 mm increments, then saved.

Who it is for

From Research Prototype to Repeatable Process

Universities & research institutes

Manufacture the same sample again — and again

Research often requires more than producing one functioning demonstrator. New materials, geometries, sensor configurations and electronic architectures need to be manufactured repeatedly so that designs can be tested, compared and validated.

The EP-30 provides a programmable method for integrating PCBs into these samples, reducing the dependency on manual PCB positioning from one experiment to the next.

Particularly relevant for research into:

Smart Textiles & E-Textiles Wearable electronics Textile sensors & sensor networks Human-machine interfaces Medical & health wearables Functional & connected textiles

High-tech companies

Close the gap between prototype and production

A prototype assembled by hand can prove that an idea works. It does not automatically prove that the product can be manufactured repeatedly.

By integrating PCB placement into an industrial embroidery process, the EP-30 helps bridge this gap. Automated component supply and controlled positioning reduce the dependence on manual PCB integration as projects move toward larger sample quantities, pilot production, small series and mass production.

This creates a more direct path between product development and a scalable textile manufacturing process.

Prototyping Validation series Pilot production Small series Mass production

Applications

One Device. Many Possibilities.

The same programmable process supports very different products — from heated workwear to sensor-integrated sportswear and experimental research platforms.

Heated Textiles

Automatically integrate the electronics required for intelligent heating systems into workwear, protective clothing or other textile structures.

Sensor-Integrated Sportswear

Position sensor electronics directly where measurements are required while integrating connections through the textile.

Medical & Health Wearables

Explore repeatable methods for integrating monitoring and sensing electronics into wearable textile structures.

Research & Experimental Smart Textiles

Develop new architectures combining textile sensors, conductive structures and rigid or flexible electronics on one programmable manufacturing platform.

Process

How the EP-30 Works

Five steps, executed inside the embroidery run.

Load

Rigid or flexible PCB carriers are loaded into an exchangeable magazine.

Step 2 — the PCB carriers are automatically fed to the placement mechanism

Feed

The PCB carriers are automatically supplied to the placement mechanism.

Position

The EP-30 picks up and positions the PCB at its programmed location within the embroidery field.

Fix

The embroidery process mechanically secures the PCB to the textile.

Connect

Conductive threads create the electrical connection between the PCB and the textile circuit.

Technical data

Designed for Rigid and Flexible PCBs

The EP-30 supports PCB carriers within the following range:

Rigid and flexible PCB carriers on a textile substrate under the embroidery head — Rigid and flexible carriers within the supported size range.

EP-30 PCB Placement Device — key data
PCB carrier footprint	12 × 12 mm up to 36 × 48 mm
Rigid PCB carrier thickness	0.8–1.6 mm
Maximum total height incl. components	Up to 9 mm
Placement area	Complete embroidery field
Component supply	Exchangeable cassette / automatic feed
Setup	Digital, in 0.1 mm increments — settings can be saved
Machine integration	Mounted directly on the ZSK F-head

Subject to technical change. Final specification depends on machine configuration.

Retrofit

Already Working with a ZSK Machine?

The EP-30 is an add-on device for compatible ZSK F-head embroidery machines.

Compatibility depends on the machine configuration and control-electronics generation. If you already operate a ZSK machine, we can check whether your existing system is suitable for the EP-30 or which options are available.

Check my machine compatibility

Tell us which machine you operate — we check it and come back to you with the result.

Thank you.

We will check the compatibility and contact you shortly.

Contact

Have an Electronics-in-Textile Project?

Every application is different.

Whether you are developing a new research platform, integrating sensors into a wearable or looking for a way to move a manually assembled prototype toward a repeatable manufacturing process — we would be glad to discuss your application with you.

Applications around the EP-30 are handled by 3E Smart Solutions — the in-house engineering office of ZSK Stickmaschinen for E-Textiles and Smart Textiles.

3E are experts in smart textiles applications. The team supports product development, builds and tests prototypes, and runs training and workshops for teams that want to work with the technology themselves.

Discuss Your Application

Tell us briefly what you are developing, which PCBs or electronic components you would like to integrate and whether you are working with an existing ZSK machine.