MAN Roland is working with several partners towards partial production of RFID systems on a printing press. Head of print-media special projects Dr Reinhard Baumann comments: "Current RFID systems are generally pre-produced as labels, and these are expensive, which is why their use for mass produced goods such as folding boxes is limited. It is also considered that they may have a negative impact on the overall graphic design of the carton."
Initially, MAN Roland is investigating whether the antennae needed for the transponder could be printed directly on the substrate and the chips then applied. Using offset or other printing processes, suitably conductible inks or pastes based on metal or conductible polymers could be printed.
At drupa 2004, the company demonstrated RFID applications using antennae printed with metal based inks. "It is also conceivable that foil transfer printing could be a viable process," notes Reinhard Baumann. "That polymer based conductible structures can work has already been proven by tests conducted on a Laborman machine at the Technical University of Chemnitz.
"Printing the antennae directly on the substrate of the end product has a number of advantages," he says. "The structures bond to the substrate and can only be removed by destroying them. Applying the special inks on a printing press is effectively just like printing a spot colour or a coating. Visual integration of the transponder in the design of a folding box will be possible, perhaps by overprinting it with process inks or coatings. Applying the chips to the preprinted antennae can be done off-line as well as in-line in modular printing systems."
He continues: "An important prerequisite for direct printing of conductible structures is to have downstream function checks. The printing industry possesses a great deal of know-how in visual quality control. However, the function of printed electronics must also be checked metrologically. Therefore, MAN Roland is making it a priority to develop a process that considers the specific characteristics of in-line finishing and direct printing. It would be an essential element of the process to ensure that the number of faulty products is kept to the absolute minimum."
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