The Application Prospect of Conductive Ink on Smart Labels (I)

At a printing conference on smart labels in Europe, Dan Lawrence, manufacturer of FlintInk inks, said, “With the development of technology, inks will likely replace some of the electronic components that have a growing proportion of electronic components. For integrated circuits, Perhaps as we know it, it may be completely replaced by ink."

They have no visual function and 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. 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 by conductive 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, as polyurethane suspension material (a kind of coating) 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. As a result, many vehicles fail to pass quality, leading to vehicle recalls. 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 The automotive company has proven the reliability of this method in practice, and some smart labels printed with conductive inks can help people determine whether the sun's rays are suitable for people's skin and prevent exposure.The main thing is that some stickers are attached to the skin. Test the sun's strength to a certain type of skin's safety bottom line, beyond which the sticker will change color.