David Savastano, Editor03.09.11
The February 2011 cover of Canvas magazine has brought much attention on the potential for printed electronics (PE). The cover is a collaboration between a wide range of industry leaders, brought together by Cal Poly State University. Last week, I examined the challenges and opportunities with this project from the perspective of NTERA, which provided its multilayer screen printed NanoChromics ink system and expertise.
The cover was a challenging team effort, culminating in the fully printed display embedded in graphics, which was produced by Si-Cal, Inc., a heat transfer label and printed electronics specialist located in Westborough, MA. Si-Cal found that the PE field was ideal for its high quality capabilities and entered the field in 2005, when the company began screen printing RFID antennas. The company has been making its mark in the printed electronics field ever since.
“Si-Cal has been in business for 40 years as a roll-to-roll screen printer manufacturing a product called a heat transfer,” said Jaye Tyler, president and CEO. “A heat transfer is a product that is used to permanently mark and identify many types of products such as the air bag warning labels on automotive sun visors (fabric), lots of plastic parts, apparel and even metal. Si-Cal entered the PE market in 2005 when we printed RFID antennas and a consumer electronic ‘array’ for companies that wanted rolls rather than sheets to allow for improved down-stream electronics assembly, lamination and die cutting.”
Si-Cal’s high-speed, tight tolerance, roll-to-roll screen printing process can create comparatively thick deposition layers, some over 5 mils, that result in tough, reliable and long-lasting products. The company can print on both thick and very thin (down to 1 mil / 25 micron) film and paper substrates, cured with either UV light or thermal processes. As a result of its reputation for high quality, Si-Cal is producing a wide range of PE products, from smart logistics labels with RFID tags and drug delivery patches to medical diagnostic strips and tamper-proof security labeling for consumer goods.
“Si-Cal is one of the very few with the capability to supply printed antenna and medical test strip arrays with tight image to image alignment / repeat distance and skew tolerances,” Richard Morris of Saxby Business Development, who represents Si-Cal, added.
With this knowledge and experience, Si-Cal was the ideal choice when NTERA looked for printers to take on the challenges faced in the Canvas Magazine project. Tyler added that the Canvas cover was as complex as any print project Si-Cal has taken on.
“Si-Cal was brought in to the Canvas magazine project by NTERA, who we have worked with in the past on other projects to print their NanoChromic ink system,” Tyler said. “The display on the Canvas magazine cover was probably the most complex PE display ever attempted as it required multiple layers of NTERA inks and graphic inks, manufactured on a very tight schedule with partner companies both up and down stream from the functional printing in Europe and both U.S. coasts. With so many functional ink layers, color matching and layer opacity requirements the build was highly complex, with design and development compressed into a 4 month window.”
As the use of printed electronics spreads, customers are coming up with new applications and product designs each day. Si-Cal has the ability to help design the end device or sub assembly as well as run prototype batches from a few hundred to thousands of units onto high volume production.
“On several occasions, we have been brought in to projects where many of the critical requirements - exact type of ink, ink deposit thickness, drying/curing profiles - have not been provided because much of this is being developed,” Tyler said. “Si-Cal then relies on its 40 years of web screen printing experience to figure out these requirements (the average tenure of our 23 person staff is 24 years). Si-Cal does not outsource any part of the manufacturing process, so I think that gives us a distinct advantage as we make our own screens and also make our own graphic inks, so this allows us good flexibility on the fly when it is needed. We also pride ourselves in a total ‘can do’ environment and have many individuals who simply roll up their sleeves to figure out technical and manufacturing issues.
“Another differentiating factor for Si-Cal is our printing equipment, which we believe is the best in the industry given the way we have worked with our supplier of this equipment to specify it based on our experiences in the industry,” Tyler added. “We have been roll-to-roll screen printers for 40 years, and have deep experience in all the facets of the web screen printing process from initial pre-press to screen making, to ink making to on press and final inspection.”
Morris credits Tyler’s willingness to bring in outside expertise where needed, such as a Lean Manufacturing initiative in 2010 and bringing in outside consultation for screen printing best practice.
“Normally it takes two to three years for medical, military and even smart packaging printed electronics programs to mature,” Morris added. “Printers require patience, attention to detail through the prototyping phases/scale up and a volume manufacturing organization. Si-Cal have been manufacturing millions of thermal transfer labels each year for decades and brings their unique skills to the emerging printed electronics industry. Success and experience build on one another, from RFID antennas to flexible displays, to medical devices and beyond.”
Tyler sees great opportunities ahead for printed electronics, and is expanding Si-Cal’s capacity to meet the needs of this rapidly growing industry.
“We are very optimistic for the continued development of the PE industry, and in fact are doubling our capacity by September 2011 with the addition of another specially designed press,” Tyler concluded.
“Si-Cal has been in business for 40 years as a roll-to-roll screen printer manufacturing a product called a heat transfer,” said Jaye Tyler, president and CEO. “A heat transfer is a product that is used to permanently mark and identify many types of products such as the air bag warning labels on automotive sun visors (fabric), lots of plastic parts, apparel and even metal. Si-Cal entered the PE market in 2005 when we printed RFID antennas and a consumer electronic ‘array’ for companies that wanted rolls rather than sheets to allow for improved down-stream electronics assembly, lamination and die cutting.”
Si-Cal’s high-speed, tight tolerance, roll-to-roll screen printing process can create comparatively thick deposition layers, some over 5 mils, that result in tough, reliable and long-lasting products. The company can print on both thick and very thin (down to 1 mil / 25 micron) film and paper substrates, cured with either UV light or thermal processes. As a result of its reputation for high quality, Si-Cal is producing a wide range of PE products, from smart logistics labels with RFID tags and drug delivery patches to medical diagnostic strips and tamper-proof security labeling for consumer goods.
“Si-Cal is one of the very few with the capability to supply printed antenna and medical test strip arrays with tight image to image alignment / repeat distance and skew tolerances,” Richard Morris of Saxby Business Development, who represents Si-Cal, added.
“Si-Cal was brought in to the Canvas magazine project by NTERA, who we have worked with in the past on other projects to print their NanoChromic ink system,” Tyler said. “The display on the Canvas magazine cover was probably the most complex PE display ever attempted as it required multiple layers of NTERA inks and graphic inks, manufactured on a very tight schedule with partner companies both up and down stream from the functional printing in Europe and both U.S. coasts. With so many functional ink layers, color matching and layer opacity requirements the build was highly complex, with design and development compressed into a 4 month window.”
As the use of printed electronics spreads, customers are coming up with new applications and product designs each day. Si-Cal has the ability to help design the end device or sub assembly as well as run prototype batches from a few hundred to thousands of units onto high volume production.
“On several occasions, we have been brought in to projects where many of the critical requirements - exact type of ink, ink deposit thickness, drying/curing profiles - have not been provided because much of this is being developed,” Tyler said. “Si-Cal then relies on its 40 years of web screen printing experience to figure out these requirements (the average tenure of our 23 person staff is 24 years). Si-Cal does not outsource any part of the manufacturing process, so I think that gives us a distinct advantage as we make our own screens and also make our own graphic inks, so this allows us good flexibility on the fly when it is needed. We also pride ourselves in a total ‘can do’ environment and have many individuals who simply roll up their sleeves to figure out technical and manufacturing issues.
“Another differentiating factor for Si-Cal is our printing equipment, which we believe is the best in the industry given the way we have worked with our supplier of this equipment to specify it based on our experiences in the industry,” Tyler added. “We have been roll-to-roll screen printers for 40 years, and have deep experience in all the facets of the web screen printing process from initial pre-press to screen making, to ink making to on press and final inspection.”
Morris credits Tyler’s willingness to bring in outside expertise where needed, such as a Lean Manufacturing initiative in 2010 and bringing in outside consultation for screen printing best practice.
Tyler sees great opportunities ahead for printed electronics, and is expanding Si-Cal’s capacity to meet the needs of this rapidly growing industry.
“We are very optimistic for the continued development of the PE industry, and in fact are doubling our capacity by September 2011 with the addition of another specially designed press,” Tyler concluded.