Bridging the gap

Printed electronics represents an enormous potential in a world of interconnected appliances. But there is still a large gap between the technology that is available and the potential for real-life applications. “That’s why we are focusing so strongly on intensive collaboration with our customers,” says Wim Christiaens, R&D director at Quad Industries.

200 billion objects connected to the Internet

Printed Electronics is hardly a new technology,” says Wim Christiaens. “Quad Industries has been using the technology in its membrane-based user interfaces for more than 30 years. But with the advent of the Internet of things, its potential has increased enormously.”

Objects are becoming increasingly smart, gathering and sharing information with other objects and the cloud. “Some sources claim that by 2020 up to 200 billion objects will be connected to the Internet,” emphasizes Wim Christiaens. “And they may be right, when we look at how fast our homes, cars or even clothes are being fitted with a wide range of sensors, loggers and tags – all of which can be manufactured at low-cost by using printed electronics.”

Focus on co-development

Quad Industries now wants to use its experience in printed electronics to produce a whole new range of products. Co-development with customers will play an important role in reaching this objective. “For example, we have recently collaborated with a Dutch start-up for the development of a running shoe insole that tracks every movement of the runners’ foot, enabling them to enhance their performance.”

Quad Industries also developed a smart label, featuring an integrated temperature logger, an NFC antenna and printed battery. It enables the monitoring of temperature-sensitive products such as food, vaccines and medicines throughout the entire logistics chain, from production all the way to the moment of consumption. “The data can be read out by a simple app on your smartphone, which tells you immediately if the product is still suitable for use.”

Quad Industries helps you bridge the gap!

Quad Industries can help you develop a wide range of smart applications using our expertise in printed electronics. The following is just a small sample of our expertise:

  • Smart labels for food, wearables and medical applications
  • Printed batteries, sensors, tags, and loggers
  • Engineering, assembly and manufacturing

View Wim Christiaens’ recent presentation at the Printed Electronics Conference in Berlin (SlideShare).

Contact us for more information about our products and services.