In an article series, TechBlick (www.TechBlick.com) will highlight various innovation trends in the diverse area of printed, hybrid, in-mould, and 3D electronics. Their goal is to demonstrate progress and state-of-the-art on various fronts ranging from R2R on-paper printing to thin ICs to conductive inks to stretchable substrates to in-mould electronics and beyond.
Printed electronics is decidedly on the move. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is no longer a niche technology. It is already being used to great effect in many areas of everyday life: in our passports, ID cards and travel cards, clothes, library books, and much more. The vast scale and intricacy of the RFID market also offers new opportunities for the printing industry. With this in mind, ISBC from Singapore has developed and presented on the market an innovative product: ISBC RFID Paper. The product is sheet-fed and made with 100% fibre-based Swiss Matt paper substrate from specialty paper manufacturer Sappi. RFID chips are embedded into the paper sheets causing no effect over the paper surface – it remains flat and smooth.
Printable electronics could cause a proliferation of smart, connected devices, from household appliances that can communicate with each other to medical diagnostic sensors that can be placed on the body to forgo invasive procedures. But the variety of printing surfaces poses a challenge, since a method used to print on a flat object may not be safe for use on human skin or applicable for complicated textures and shapes.
