Dr. Wolfgang Clemens of PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG

What is the importance of printed RFID tags?
Some factors that drive up the cost of RFID tags are production methods and the silicon used in chips. By printing RFID tags in a roll-to-roll process and using organic materials instead of silicon, we can drastically reduce the cost of tags and make it possible for RFID technology to be used en masse with better effects on the environment.

PolylC develops printed RFID tags and has recently concluded a three-year trial in Germany. What exactly did you do?
We were involved in a project called PRISMA (short for printed smart objects, funded by the German Ministry of Research and Education-BMBF) in which we developed and tested printed RFID tags. We developed tags up to 64 bits at 13.56 MHz in the lab, and we tested simple printed tags without ID numbers in four different public field trials in the area of electronic ticketing. The project Website is www.prisma-projekt.de

What were the main results? And what are your next steps?
The main results of the PRISMA project were several public field trials with the simple printed radio tags. Here we learned a lot about the processing of the tags and the system approaches that need to be realized for the different applications. This is important for developing RFID tags that have higher functionalities.

What new areas of application does polymer technology open in logistics? And in other fields?
Our target is to create printed EPC tags that can be used for item-level logistics. As we work towards this goal, we are looking at other applications such as those in the field of electronic brand protection, ticketing and internal automation. Such applications may be possible using thin, flexible, low-cost tags with low functionality. In these cases, printed RFID will bring electronic functionality and interactivity to products and devices that do not contain electronics today.  This can either be additional aspects to existing ones like optical security features, or consumers can have safe, easy electronic verification about the authenticity of products.

How long will it take to develop printed and chip-less RFID tags for mainstream application?
PolyIC has already developed simple printed radio tags without ID numbers saved on them. We are developing evaluation kits so that potential customers can test the tags in real-life applications. The next step is to have printed RFID tags with some bits of information storage possible. In the long term, we will have printed RFID tags for EPCglobal applications.

What are the benefits of printed RFID?
In general, printed RFID tags are thin, flexible and low cost; this enables new application fields for RFID in which the tags can be integrated into high-volume products and packaging. In the future, consumers will buy yoghurt containers that not only radio their price to the cashier but also show in a blinking display the yoghurt’s best-before date or other consumer information. In addition, printed tags are easier on the environment than the silicon-based tags that contribute to the large amount of e-waste in landfills today.

Organization:
PolyIC produces printed electronics. The printing process is conducted in an exactly-defined way so that electronic devices can be created. These devices will be integrated into RFID applications, for instance. The new technology is also used in displays and systems called smart objects.  Printed electronics on flexible films will help make possible the vision of "electronics everywhere."

Link
www.polyid.com