The project has been initiated in response to the current high cost of pre-produced RFID labels and the fact that, in present form, they may have a detrimental visual effect on pack design.
Initially the company is investigating whether transponder antennae can be printed on the substrate and the chips then applied, with printing undertaken using offset or other print processes and suitable conductive inks or pastes. Foil transfer printing is another potential option.
Reinhard Baumann, MAN Roland head of print-media special projects, says: "Printing the antenna directly onto the end product has several advantages. The structures bond to the substrate and can only be removed by destroying them. Applying the special inks via printing 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, while applying the chips to the pre-printed antennae can be done offline or inline."
