Most smart tags have electronic components that store and transmit data. Because they have no visual function, they have been excluded from the printing field. However, traditional printing technology and digital printing technology are now being applied to the production of smart labels. Although the current production is still small-scale, and the quantity is very small, we believe that in the near future, ink will have immeasurable application prospects in the large-scale production of electronic data products, and this application will also partially change the printing. Ways and types of ink.
At a printing conference on smart labels in Europe, Dan Lawrence, the manufacturer of Flint Ink inks, said, “With the development of technology, inks will likely replace some of the electronic components that are growing in electronic components. For integrated circuits, Say, maybe as we know it, it may be completely replaced by ink."
This kind of technological capability has already been used in printing to manufacture large-scale electronic materials. This is a new era for entering a sophisticated and inexpensive electronic component that can meet the large demand of the market. The printing industry has a long way to go from the current printing of a large number of graphic products to electronics manufacturing.
An ordinary printer or printer cannot suddenly become a device for making electronic materials. But it is not unthinkable that in a fairly clean workroom, presses made by Heidelberg and other digital printing equipment manufacturers will be able to produce electronic products.
The new business of printing electronic products is not only a revolution in the printing industry, but also a revolution in the electronics industry. By that time, the production of electronic products will be a series of printing jobs scattered throughout the world, just like the current printing industry, and not just a few large manufacturers like microchips and integrated circuits.
The market for smart labels in the world will mainly exist on electronic article surveillance (EAS) and radio wave identification (RFID) systems. EAS is mainly used in retail anti-theft devices, and RFID is mainly used to depict and track bulk goods through the supply chain.
Another major market for smart labels printed with new inks is in diagnostic applications. For example, on devices that exhibit changes in temperature, pressure, light, and humidity, and devices that detect the presence of viruses, bacteria, and gases. Some photochromic or thermochromic inks have been developed and used to change color when subjected to light treatment, disinfection, or curing. In hospitals, such ink-printed labels can be used to verify the cleanliness of the disinfection of medical devices and equipment.
At Ford Motor Company, because the polyurethane suspension material (a kind of paint) undergoes a heat-curing process on the production line, it is difficult for the staff to correctly determine whether the curing process is just right. Therefore, many vehicles will fail to pass quality, leading to a vehicle recall. The loss is great. They adopted the advice of a special ink company. Before the curing process, a self-adhesive 'point' of loop has been added to each section, these points are light red at first, and turn black after heat curing at the correct time. In terms of effectively removing uncured parts during processing, Ford Car companies have proven the reliability of this method in practice.
There are also some smart labels printed on ink to help people determine whether the sun's rays are suitable for human skin and prevent exposure. It is mainly stickers, which are attached to the skin and can test the safety of the sun on a certain type of skin. The over-strength sticker will change color.
The application prospect of smart ink is very impressive, however, there are still many technical obstacles in the application of smart ink. Some obstacles are not the problem of the ink itself but the problem of printing. The more intelligent the ink, the more difficult it is to print with them. For example, printing with heat-sensitive inks used in a low-temperature environment is very difficult because it must be printed in a room temperature environment.
Another issue is the cost issue. In the past decade, the average selling price of an RFID tag has dropped from 100 US dollars to 1 US dollar, and is expected to drop to a lower level, when it will be more competitive than electronic chips.
Due to the widespread use of the tracing and tracking system from large bulk shipments to individual products, sales of RFID, smart inks, or sheets will rapidly increase. Retailers in the United States have experimented with using RFID systems instead of bar code identification systems to improve the efficiency of inventory audits and speed customers through the checkout desk. It is believed that major businesses will be more willing to use the RFID system.
The most important issue at present is to properly reduce the cost of RFID tags. Some companies in foreign countries are experimenting to limit the cost of each RFID tag to within one US dollar, but they hope to reduce it to three cents.
Product labeling has become a necessary choice for products entering the international market. If a 96-bit smart tag with an integrated circuit and an antenna is embedded in each product, the data can be transmitted to the Internet via a radio wave reader. Save hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, the benefits to the customer are also considerable.
Some foreign research institutions dedicated to smart technologies believe that through the improvement of integrated circuits, antennas, and manufacturing processes, the cost of RFID and other electronic tags will soon drop to the price that merchants can generally accept.
The biggest cost reduction will be in the manufacture of integrated circuits. The cost of assembly of integrated circuits, antennas, and other components, as well as the cost of applying them to product packaging, will be appropriately reduced. From a long-term perspective, printing will play an important role in cutting costs, especially in the final stages of manufacturing. The RFID antenna has been embedded on the label by traditional printing methods, and inks containing more components required by RFID and other electronic devices will soon be developed. The new inks will not consist of pigments, binders, solvents and additives, but will be tubular, spherical and other shapes of nanoscale particles, conductive and luminescent polymers, and as solvents and additives. Molecular composition. Also, this new type of ink can be printed using existing printing processes. For certain applications, each process has its advantages. Perhaps different processes will be used at different stages for the entire manufacturing process.
Inevitably, there are many technical obstacles that we need to solve. These include the need to enhance the performance of semiconductor polymers, as well as substantial improvements and enhancements in print resolution, register accuracy, necessary barrier layers, and a clean printing environment. Once these obstacles are eliminated, traditional printing will hopefully become a global manufacturing method for electronic components.
Reprinted from: Print Magazine