Customized Solutions for High Performing Printed Electronics
Printed Electronics and the Smart Label Revolution
Technology has advanced to the point today where it can turn even product labels and packaging into working components that make their products more efficient and easier to use. The technology of printed electronics (also called plastic or polymer electronics) uses radio frequency identification (RFID) to create smart labels with conductive or photovoltaic inks printed onto thin and flexible films. These printed electronic materials come in many forms and substrates and their electronic capability allows them to store data or transmit information. Some can even automatically dispense the product.
The Many Uses for Smart Labels
Many industries now employ smart labels and more are adopting their use each week. In cosmetics and pharmaceuticals you’ll see printed electronic used in medicine delivery patches that control the timely dispensing of medicines and therapeutic compounds through the skin. Shippers also use this printed electronic capability for RFID tags (RFID antennas and chips) that track the location of their materials in transit. Many will have already seen how financial service companies use ID cards with printed electronics to carry a variety of information. In the area of consumer products these printed materials are used in smart packaging and for tamper-proof security. Even supermarkets are beginning to use smart cards with printed electronics to track and charge grocery shoppers as they fill their carriage, without having to go through a check out line. And this is all just the beginning.
Si-Cal’s Advantage with Printed Electronics
Some printed electronic products are made using production methods that can result in unreliable product performance in the field. But Si-Cal’s roll-to-roll screen printing process makes us one of the few producers in the country that can create comparatively thick deposition layers (some over 5 mils.) that result in tough, reliable and long-lasting products. This roll-to-roll product also gives you the ability to run your production lines at high rates, and our consistently high quality helps you avoid down time. Our modern equipment can print on both film and paper substrates (also caller carriers) using silver or carbon based functional inks, or photovoltaic inks, both cured with either our UV or thermal process. This combination of quality, speed and reliable performance has led many companies to become Si-Cal customers and you will see our printed electronic products in many applications, including:
- Smart logistics labels with RFID tags using our antenna inlays to help
track product location and delivery status.
- Medicine delivery patches.
- ID and smart cards used to speed user access to transportation and
financial services.
- Stored value cards used by financial and communication service companies.
- Tamper-proof security labeling for consumer goods.
Si-Cal: Printed Electronic Solutions Tailored to Your Needs
Si-Cal has been serving some of the most demanding printing applications for more than 38 years and we are now a world leader in printed electronic labels, antennae and other thin film printed electronic applications. Each day we work along the forward edge of the printed electronic revolution, producing the highest quality roll to roll labels and other functional printed electronics products. Our design and production engineers work closely with each customer, tailoring solutions to meet tight specifications for precise levels of resistivity and conductivity into all of our products for consistent performance in the field.
As the use of printed electronics spreads, customers are coming up with new applications each day. Often they need to test their ideas before adapting them to full scale use. Si-Cal is your perfect partner in these situations because our screen printing process allows us to quickly produce prototype batches in small quantities (5,000 -10,000 units) for testing at low cost.
So whether you need smart labels for logistics tags, medicine delivery patches, smart cards, or another demanding application, we can turn your specifications into a quality, high volume solution that keeps your production process running seamlessly and works reliably in the field.
electronics with consistently high manufacturing quality.
800-451-5566
508-898-1800