Fabricating 3D printed electronics using desktop printers has become more
accessible with recent developments in conductive thermoplastic filaments.
Because of their high resistance and difficulties in printing traces in
vertical directions, most applications are restricted to capacitive sensing. In
this paper, we introduce Thermoformed Circuit Board (TCB), a novel approach
that employs the thermoformability of the 3D printed plastics to construct
various double-sided, rigid and highly conductive freeform circuit boards that
can withstand high current applications through copper electroplating. To
illustrate the capability of the TCB, we showcase a range of examples with
various shapes, electrical characteristics and interaction mechanisms. We also
demonstrate a new design tool extension to an existing CAD environment that
allows users to parametrically draw the substrate and conductive trace, and
export 3D printable files. TCB is an inexpensive and highly accessible
fabrication technique intended to broaden HCI researcher participation.