David Savastano, Editor01.16.19
The past year has seen further growth in the world of flexible and printed electronics. Flexible and hybrid solutions have continued to emerge, and printing is increasingly being seen as one of the potential drivers for future growth. The good news is that there are new applications coming to market all of the time.
Smart packaging is an important opportunity, as the ability to connect consumers, retailers and brand owners has the potential to change the way we live. We are seeing more examples of how brands are using near-field communication (NFC), RFID and printed tags to connect with their customers through their smartphones. Two of the selections in the following “Most Intriguing Flexible and Printed Electronics Products of 2018,” YUNI Beauty and Kilchoman, are using printed NFC-enabled tags to reach their customers.
For example, YUNI Beauty founders Emmanuel Rey and Suzanne Dawson partnered with Thinfilm and Jones Packaging to integrate NFC tags directly into the secondary packaging of Shower Sheets and Chillax, two of its leading products.
“There’s a call-to-action printed over the tag location that indicates to the consumer that he/she can tap the package with a smartphone to see product details and access more information and content – much more than what we’re able to display on the box itself,” Rey noted.
“With the direct connection, we can establish a one-to-one dialogue with consumers to tell our brand story, relay product information, provide application instructions, deliver news on other products, and give them an easy way to share all of this with their friends,” said Rey. “Our interactive packages – made possible by NFC technology – pull consumers in and help YUNI stand out among competitor products.”
Scottish whisky producer Kilchoman teamed with Thinfilm to promote two of its flagship whiskies using special NFC hang tags that consumers could tap with their smartphones to get product and distillery information directly from the source.
“We were looking at ways to communicate Kilchoman’s unique selling points to customers and tell the story of the brand in the easiest and most effective way,” said Peter Wills, sales and marketing manager at Kilchoman Distillery. “This is very flexible, instantly being able to change the experience people have when tapping on the NFC label.”
“Across the 13 European countries where the whisky bottles with the NFC tags were deployed, data showed the smart packaging was 70 times more effective than display ads and three times as effective as email or search advertising,” added Matthew Bright, senior director of product and technical marketing at Thinfilm. “Based on this initial success, Kilchoman already has plans to expand their use of NFC smart packaging, including direct integration of the technology into the bottle label.”
Flexible sensors are another area of interest, bringing together the benefits of printing, flexibility and silicon for products in segments such as health and wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others.
Nicholas Skelton, digital marketing manager for Brewer Science, Inc., said that Brewer Science is seeing more interest in the flexible sensor segment, driven by flexible form factors.
“Over the last year, we have seen an increased interest in printed sensors with flexible form factors and believe that we are starting to see the adoption curve change from just R&D and innovators to more early adopters looking at these products,” Skelton said.
Roy Bjorlin, global commercial and strategic initiatives director, Electronics Materials, Sun Chemical, said he is seeing more interest from end users for flexible and printed sensors.
“End users are very much interested in what is possible with flexible and printed sensors and what is available today,” Bjorlin reported. “It remains somewhat exploratory. The majority of interest is expressed by three key groups – medical device, wearables and consumer brands.”
“FHE (flexible hybrid electronics) is enabling the use of skin conformal and stretchable electronic systems that have found a high level of acceptance with the users,” said Wilfried Bair, senior engineering manager for device integration and packaging at NextFlex. “Compared to a rigid object attached to the body, a Band-Aid like electronics board is comfortable to wear. There are multiple FHE applications close to approval for monitoring blood pressure, pulse oximetry and glucose in a small and lightweight form factor not yet available today.”
With all of this in place and still more coming in the future, industry leaders say they see many new opportunities ahead for the next five to 10 years.
“I am very optimistic,” Bjorlin said. “Medical device sensors will likely lead in terms of short-term growth followed closely by the consumer brand space. We are already seeing innovative new printed sensors in each of these markets. Consumers are getting a taste for what’s possible and will drive further innovations. This will also lead to the supporting manufacturing and design infrastructure becoming aligned.”
“As other electronic devices become flexible – in particular with the advent of flexible and foldable displays – the electronics sector will move into lightweight and conformal electronics, which will be pervasive and almost invisible compared to today’s ‘boxed-in’ electronics,” Bair concluded.
Here’s a look at five interesting technologies that have either reached the market or are nearing commercialization during the past year.
Flexible and printed electronics manufacturers made some interesting headway toward commercialization during 2018, with promising products either reaching the market or getting close. Here is Printed Electronics Now’s list of Most Intriguing Flexible and Printed Electronics Products of 2018.
In alphabetical order:
• BeBop Sensors - Forte Wireless Data Glove
The recipient of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions 2018 Award, BeBop Systems’ Forte Wireless Data Glove can be used for a variety of applications, including industrial, medical, human factors, virtual reality, gaming, design and more. The gloves feature flexible sensors embedded in their fabric design, providing greater accuracy in tracking the user’s movements.
• JOLED – 21.6 inch 4K OLED display for medical monitors
The promise of printing OLED TVs and displays is becoming a reality thanks to JOLED and other companies. Last year, JOLED launched its first printed display, its 21.6 inch 4K OLED display that is designed for medical applications. During Printed Electronics USA 2018, Dr. Toshiaki Arai, chief technologist and SID Fellow at JOLED, reported that the company is working on flexible OLED displays for 12”and 21.6” displays.
• Lubrizol, Butler Technologies, ACI Materials, Principled Design – Multi-Tech Commuter Jacket
Being able to generate heat within a jacket would be one way to help warm up. With an eye on doing just that, Lubrizol asked Despina Papadopoulos of Principled Design in New York to create and develop the Multi-Tech Commuter (MTC) Jacket. Working with Butler Technologies and ACI Materials, Lubrizol and Papadopoulos produced a fashionable denim jacket that uses flexible electronics to provide warmth on demand.
• Kilchoman Distillery – NFC Hang Tags for Whisky
Scottish whisky producer Kilchoman teamed up with Thinfilm to promote two of its flagship whiskies using special NFC hang tags that consumers could tap with their smartphones to get product and distillery information directly from the source. The company reported that its post-campaign analysis revealed that NFC generated a 6.5% engagement rate among consumers, outperforming more traditional digital marketing channels such as display, email, search, and social. Kilchoman will next incorporate NFC directly into its labels.
• YUNI Beauty – NFC-Enabled Packaging for Shower Sheets and Chillax
Another company that is using NFC-enabled packaging, YUNI Beauty is using Thinfilm’s NFC technology printed by Jones Packaging for its Shower Sheets and Chillax products. With a tap of a consumer’s smartphone, these tags will launch a unique experience that gives the user content such as how-to videos and application tips.
Smart packaging is an important opportunity, as the ability to connect consumers, retailers and brand owners has the potential to change the way we live. We are seeing more examples of how brands are using near-field communication (NFC), RFID and printed tags to connect with their customers through their smartphones. Two of the selections in the following “Most Intriguing Flexible and Printed Electronics Products of 2018,” YUNI Beauty and Kilchoman, are using printed NFC-enabled tags to reach their customers.
For example, YUNI Beauty founders Emmanuel Rey and Suzanne Dawson partnered with Thinfilm and Jones Packaging to integrate NFC tags directly into the secondary packaging of Shower Sheets and Chillax, two of its leading products.
“There’s a call-to-action printed over the tag location that indicates to the consumer that he/she can tap the package with a smartphone to see product details and access more information and content – much more than what we’re able to display on the box itself,” Rey noted.
“With the direct connection, we can establish a one-to-one dialogue with consumers to tell our brand story, relay product information, provide application instructions, deliver news on other products, and give them an easy way to share all of this with their friends,” said Rey. “Our interactive packages – made possible by NFC technology – pull consumers in and help YUNI stand out among competitor products.”
Scottish whisky producer Kilchoman teamed with Thinfilm to promote two of its flagship whiskies using special NFC hang tags that consumers could tap with their smartphones to get product and distillery information directly from the source.
“We were looking at ways to communicate Kilchoman’s unique selling points to customers and tell the story of the brand in the easiest and most effective way,” said Peter Wills, sales and marketing manager at Kilchoman Distillery. “This is very flexible, instantly being able to change the experience people have when tapping on the NFC label.”
“Across the 13 European countries where the whisky bottles with the NFC tags were deployed, data showed the smart packaging was 70 times more effective than display ads and three times as effective as email or search advertising,” added Matthew Bright, senior director of product and technical marketing at Thinfilm. “Based on this initial success, Kilchoman already has plans to expand their use of NFC smart packaging, including direct integration of the technology into the bottle label.”
Flexible sensors are another area of interest, bringing together the benefits of printing, flexibility and silicon for products in segments such as health and wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others.
Nicholas Skelton, digital marketing manager for Brewer Science, Inc., said that Brewer Science is seeing more interest in the flexible sensor segment, driven by flexible form factors.
“Over the last year, we have seen an increased interest in printed sensors with flexible form factors and believe that we are starting to see the adoption curve change from just R&D and innovators to more early adopters looking at these products,” Skelton said.
Roy Bjorlin, global commercial and strategic initiatives director, Electronics Materials, Sun Chemical, said he is seeing more interest from end users for flexible and printed sensors.
“End users are very much interested in what is possible with flexible and printed sensors and what is available today,” Bjorlin reported. “It remains somewhat exploratory. The majority of interest is expressed by three key groups – medical device, wearables and consumer brands.”
“FHE (flexible hybrid electronics) is enabling the use of skin conformal and stretchable electronic systems that have found a high level of acceptance with the users,” said Wilfried Bair, senior engineering manager for device integration and packaging at NextFlex. “Compared to a rigid object attached to the body, a Band-Aid like electronics board is comfortable to wear. There are multiple FHE applications close to approval for monitoring blood pressure, pulse oximetry and glucose in a small and lightweight form factor not yet available today.”
With all of this in place and still more coming in the future, industry leaders say they see many new opportunities ahead for the next five to 10 years.
“I am very optimistic,” Bjorlin said. “Medical device sensors will likely lead in terms of short-term growth followed closely by the consumer brand space. We are already seeing innovative new printed sensors in each of these markets. Consumers are getting a taste for what’s possible and will drive further innovations. This will also lead to the supporting manufacturing and design infrastructure becoming aligned.”
“As other electronic devices become flexible – in particular with the advent of flexible and foldable displays – the electronics sector will move into lightweight and conformal electronics, which will be pervasive and almost invisible compared to today’s ‘boxed-in’ electronics,” Bair concluded.
Here’s a look at five interesting technologies that have either reached the market or are nearing commercialization during the past year.
Flexible and printed electronics manufacturers made some interesting headway toward commercialization during 2018, with promising products either reaching the market or getting close. Here is Printed Electronics Now’s list of Most Intriguing Flexible and Printed Electronics Products of 2018.
In alphabetical order:
• BeBop Sensors - Forte Wireless Data Glove
The recipient of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions 2018 Award, BeBop Systems’ Forte Wireless Data Glove can be used for a variety of applications, including industrial, medical, human factors, virtual reality, gaming, design and more. The gloves feature flexible sensors embedded in their fabric design, providing greater accuracy in tracking the user’s movements.
• JOLED – 21.6 inch 4K OLED display for medical monitors
The promise of printing OLED TVs and displays is becoming a reality thanks to JOLED and other companies. Last year, JOLED launched its first printed display, its 21.6 inch 4K OLED display that is designed for medical applications. During Printed Electronics USA 2018, Dr. Toshiaki Arai, chief technologist and SID Fellow at JOLED, reported that the company is working on flexible OLED displays for 12”and 21.6” displays.
• Lubrizol, Butler Technologies, ACI Materials, Principled Design – Multi-Tech Commuter Jacket
Being able to generate heat within a jacket would be one way to help warm up. With an eye on doing just that, Lubrizol asked Despina Papadopoulos of Principled Design in New York to create and develop the Multi-Tech Commuter (MTC) Jacket. Working with Butler Technologies and ACI Materials, Lubrizol and Papadopoulos produced a fashionable denim jacket that uses flexible electronics to provide warmth on demand.
• Kilchoman Distillery – NFC Hang Tags for Whisky
Scottish whisky producer Kilchoman teamed up with Thinfilm to promote two of its flagship whiskies using special NFC hang tags that consumers could tap with their smartphones to get product and distillery information directly from the source. The company reported that its post-campaign analysis revealed that NFC generated a 6.5% engagement rate among consumers, outperforming more traditional digital marketing channels such as display, email, search, and social. Kilchoman will next incorporate NFC directly into its labels.
• YUNI Beauty – NFC-Enabled Packaging for Shower Sheets and Chillax
Another company that is using NFC-enabled packaging, YUNI Beauty is using Thinfilm’s NFC technology printed by Jones Packaging for its Shower Sheets and Chillax products. With a tap of a consumer’s smartphone, these tags will launch a unique experience that gives the user content such as how-to videos and application tips.
