Quad Industries and ynvisible have successfully demonstrated the printing of electrochromic (EC) devices onto Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tags. The joint demonstrators were on display at the Quad Industries’ booth at the IDTechEx Printed Electronics Europe 2017 event in Berlin, May 10-11, 2017.

In the demonstrator, when a user activates the NFC reader in their smart phone and places it in the proximity of the passive NFC tag, the reader provides the power to communicate with the RF chip and simultaneously activates a graphic change in the EC display. This demonstrates both the ultra-low power operation of ynvisible’s printed EC displays and the ability to produce EC devices in line with NFC/RFID tag production.

EC color changing graphics in combination with NFC and other RFID tag types provides further levels of graphic content and object embedded visual cues to smart and intelligent labels. The application possibilities are diverse, from security labels, to promotional and instructional materials, and more.

With recent rapid growth in the RFID industry, and a growing number of smart phones with embedded NFC readers and the rapid spread of NFC tags, NFC is also projected to be the fastest growing field of technology in smart labelling*, and smart packaging** RFID integration of ECs provides a high volume platform.

ynvisible’s vision is to bring everyday objects and surfaces to life, benefitting people in a smart and connected world. Utilizing its proprietary printed electrochromics (EC) technologies ynvisible develops and markets smart labels and films to bring practical human interfaces to the Internet of Things.

Quad Industries, headquartered in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, is a leading innovator in user interfacing and printed electronics. The company supplies a wide range of touch and switch solutions. Its hybrid flexible electronics platform also enables the combination of printing circuitry, NFC antennas, batteries and sensors with automatic component assembly to create a broad range of smart labels and tags.


*Source: Market&Markets: Smart Labels Market by Technology (EAS, RFID, Sensing, ESL, NFC tags), Components (Batteries, Transceivers, Microprocessors, Others), Application (Retail Inventory, Perishable Goods, Electronic & IT asset, Others), End-use Industry – Forecast to 2021

**Source: Grand View Research Oct.2016: Smart Packaging Market Analysis By Product (Active Packaging, Intelligent Packaging) By Application (Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Personal Care, Automotive) And Segment Forecasts To 2024.