Print electronics New growth point in the printing industry

With the development of polymer materials today, numerous electronic devices such as transistors, sensors, solar cells, or light emitting diodes can be made from plastic. The biggest advantages of these materials are: easy processing, for example, printing on film materials using various printing methods.

This so-called printed electronics will be an important development area for printing press manufacturers because it is possible to use printed technology methods to make electronic circuits and have a competitive advantage in terms of price. There is no doubt that these properties completely opened up new applications and growing markets.

The invention patent described in this article is aimed at the above direction and describes various printing methods for producing RFID (radio frequency identification or smart label). The patent was filed by the German Roland Press Manufacturing Company to the German Patent and Trademark Office.

The basis of RFID tags is the so-called transponder technology. Its advantage lies in the radio communication between the tag and the reader. This can greatly speed up the data acquisition process because readers no longer need optical communications. For example, the contents of the box or the entire shelf can be collected without error. Smart tags can also store secure barcodes, so they can be used to identify counterfeit packaging (for example, the pharmaceutical industry) or to steal.

The wireless identification system consists of two parts: an RFID tag attached to the item and a write/reader that can be read or transmitted from the tag. The transponder stores a simple identification number according to different structures, but also stores complex data (eg, shelf expiration date, manufacturing site and date, sales price, etc.). Transponders are mostly composed of integrated circuits, antennas, and other passive components. The transponder's integrated circuit is connected to a mobile data carrier antenna to receive data transmission or data reception.

A well-known method for producing RFID tags is to laminate a thin film of the coating on a label, print the antenna using a screen printing method, or print using an ink jet method. A commodity security tag, such as an RFID tag, is directly attached to the article, attached to its packaging, or the outer packaging of the shipment.

Task The task of the invention is to complete the required components on the label in a simple manner, in particular to protect the chip (IC) and the antenna from mechanical damage. This task is accomplished through the following different requirements:

The use of a printing method to produce an RFID tag is characterized by the fact that at least one antenna and oscillating circuit component required for the function is printed on a substrate by sheetfed offset printing or by using a relief plate.

The method according to one of the above claims, characterized by the fact that in order to install the oscillation circuit or the oscillating circuit component or the chip connected to the antenna, the oscillating circuit or the oscillating circuit component or the recessed portion of the chip, which accommodates very little expansion of the plane, is pressed into the substrate So that an oscillating circuit or oscillating circuit component or chip is used in the recess and an electrically conductive connection is established between the oscillating circuit or the chip and the antenna.

It is recommended to use the following method: The antenna and other components of the tank circuit are printed in one of the printing methods as described above. Then, on the die-cutting or pressure-slotting machine connected with the printing press, the substrate is punched into groove marks. The proper degree of depression can later accommodate strip or rectangular or square chips. After the chip and the oscillation circuit are installed in the depressions, they can be used by bonding or welding with printed conductors and antennas.