David Savastano, Editor08.30.11
One area of opportunity for printed electronics is display technology, where inexpensive displays can be used in a host of new areas such as printed graphics, point-of-purchase signage and consumer goods . The challenge is to be able to match the right materials and production processes together.
Ynvisible, a Cartaxo, Portugal-based spin-out of YDreams, is well positioned to take advantage of this market opportunity. Working closely with research and industrial organizations, Ynvisible has successfully developed and integrated innovative electrochromic displays using patented novel functional inks into a wide range of materials. Its goal is to add differentiating value to existing markets at a disruptively low cost, and the next step is to commercialize its products.
“Ynvisible was created out of a research initiative led by our parent company, YDreams, and several partners, including university research groups and industrial groups,” said Inês Henriques, CEO of Ynvisible. “While YDreams deals with interactive technologies that require costly screens, projectors and cameras, in 2006 it started to explore softer technologies that would allow adding interactive and intelligent properties to everyday objects. After four years of research, Ynvisible was created.
“Unlike many other companies in these technological areas, Ynvisible is a vision-driven company. Our current technological solution –electrochromic displays – are the means we found to pursue our vision of pervasive interactivity in this first stage of development,” Henriques added.
Henriques noted that Ynvisible’s interactive electrochromic display technology has numerous advantages, including low power consumption, low production costs and mass production viability, substrate versatility and especially transparency.
“Our displays are competitive regarding variables such as switch time, durability and power consumption,” Henriques said. “While the current solution allows switching between two separate images, our displays are also transparent and flexible, which enables better integration with printed graphics and other display elements.”
Part of its cost advantage is Ynvisible’s use of printing for its technology.
“Our displays are manufactured through common printing processes. We’re working with both screen and inkjet printing as alternatives; in addition, we also use coating and lamination processes.”
Working closely with YDreams is a significant advantage for Ynvisible.
“As the offspring of YDreams, a company which has delivered projects for major brands all around the world, we are aware of the need to go beyond the technology and deliver beautifully-designed applications to our clients,” Henriques said. “We place a great focus on design, and believe that’s a key component in successfully deploying our technology on the market.”
Ynvisible and YDreams have brought together a wealth of R&D talent in its Invisible Network. Members include the Photochemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry Group from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New University of Lisbon, the 3Bs Group from the University of Minho, the Center for Nanotechnologies and Smart Materials (CENTI), Innovnano, Plux, Grupo Portucel Soporcel, Sonae Indústria, Corticeira Amorim, BA Vidro and Secil.
The knowledge base of these companies is wide: Grupo Portucel Soporcel is a major company in the international paper market. Sonae Indústria is one of the largest wood-based panels’ producers in the world. Corticeira Amorim is a world leader in cork production. BA Vidro manufactures glass containers for the food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, and Secil is a cement and concrete producer.
Ynvisible recently was awarded an incentive of €800,000 by the Portuguese National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), as part of a project with its partners, totaling more than €6 million. for the development of interactive products through nanotechnology and printed electronics.
Cost-efffective flexible interactive displays may have plenty of applications, ranging from advertising on magazines and outdoors, smart packaging and point-of-sale displays to interactive clothing and intelligent furniture.
“We will be targeting different markets as our technology matures and our production capacity increases,” said Henriques. “We expect the first commercial cases to be in markets such as point-of-sale displays, greeting cards and brochures, while in the medium to long run we are aiming at application fields such as window advertising, packaging and others.”
“We’ve also been finding out, through contacts that have approached us, that there is demand for this kind of displays in many different applications that we hadn’t thought of,” she added. “It seems there is demand for low-cost, low-consumption displays in many applications where interactive graphical elements can bring added value to everyday physical products.”
Ynvisible recently partnered with printed battery specialist Enfucell on an interactive printed display that could be utilized in areas ranging from magazine covers and greeting cards to smart packaging . The prototype was showcased during the Large-area, Organic and Printed Electronics Convention (LOPE-C) 2011. Meanwhile, the first generation of Ynvisible’s products is expected to reach the market in the second half of 2011.
Henriques said that the feedback from potential customers has been excellent.
“We have been in contact with a great number of potential customers in the markets we’re aiming and the reactions have so far been very positive and very constructive,” Henriques noted. “There is certainly a lot of interest in this technology, and the contacts we’ve made so far have also helped us adjust our technology to fit the market needs. We’re right now in the process of determining and discussing our first commercial projects.
“We have been paying close attention at the progress that printed electronics has been making over the past years, and we certainly expect things to keep maturing and for more applications to start reaching end-users,” Henriques added. “In our case, we are quite involved with the sector, as progress in other areas of PE could improve our own final integrated product as complementary technologies – e.g. ITO replacements, printed sensors, batteries and other electronics components.”
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“Ynvisible was created out of a research initiative led by our parent company, YDreams, and several partners, including university research groups and industrial groups,” said Inês Henriques, CEO of Ynvisible. “While YDreams deals with interactive technologies that require costly screens, projectors and cameras, in 2006 it started to explore softer technologies that would allow adding interactive and intelligent properties to everyday objects. After four years of research, Ynvisible was created.
“Unlike many other companies in these technological areas, Ynvisible is a vision-driven company. Our current technological solution –electrochromic displays – are the means we found to pursue our vision of pervasive interactivity in this first stage of development,” Henriques added.
Henriques noted that Ynvisible’s interactive electrochromic display technology has numerous advantages, including low power consumption, low production costs and mass production viability, substrate versatility and especially transparency.
“Our displays are competitive regarding variables such as switch time, durability and power consumption,” Henriques said. “While the current solution allows switching between two separate images, our displays are also transparent and flexible, which enables better integration with printed graphics and other display elements.”
Part of its cost advantage is Ynvisible’s use of printing for its technology.
“Our displays are manufactured through common printing processes. We’re working with both screen and inkjet printing as alternatives; in addition, we also use coating and lamination processes.”
Working closely with YDreams is a significant advantage for Ynvisible.
“As the offspring of YDreams, a company which has delivered projects for major brands all around the world, we are aware of the need to go beyond the technology and deliver beautifully-designed applications to our clients,” Henriques said. “We place a great focus on design, and believe that’s a key component in successfully deploying our technology on the market.”
Ynvisible and YDreams have brought together a wealth of R&D talent in its Invisible Network. Members include the Photochemistry and Supramolecular Chemistry Group from the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New University of Lisbon, the 3Bs Group from the University of Minho, the Center for Nanotechnologies and Smart Materials (CENTI), Innovnano, Plux, Grupo Portucel Soporcel, Sonae Indústria, Corticeira Amorim, BA Vidro and Secil.
The knowledge base of these companies is wide: Grupo Portucel Soporcel is a major company in the international paper market. Sonae Indústria is one of the largest wood-based panels’ producers in the world. Corticeira Amorim is a world leader in cork production. BA Vidro manufactures glass containers for the food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, and Secil is a cement and concrete producer.
Ynvisible recently was awarded an incentive of €800,000 by the Portuguese National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), as part of a project with its partners, totaling more than €6 million. for the development of interactive products through nanotechnology and printed electronics.
Cost-efffective flexible interactive displays may have plenty of applications, ranging from advertising on magazines and outdoors, smart packaging and point-of-sale displays to interactive clothing and intelligent furniture.
“We will be targeting different markets as our technology matures and our production capacity increases,” said Henriques. “We expect the first commercial cases to be in markets such as point-of-sale displays, greeting cards and brochures, while in the medium to long run we are aiming at application fields such as window advertising, packaging and others.”
“We’ve also been finding out, through contacts that have approached us, that there is demand for this kind of displays in many different applications that we hadn’t thought of,” she added. “It seems there is demand for low-cost, low-consumption displays in many applications where interactive graphical elements can bring added value to everyday physical products.”
Ynvisible recently partnered with printed battery specialist Enfucell on an interactive printed display that could be utilized in areas ranging from magazine covers and greeting cards to smart packaging . The prototype was showcased during the Large-area, Organic and Printed Electronics Convention (LOPE-C) 2011. Meanwhile, the first generation of Ynvisible’s products is expected to reach the market in the second half of 2011.
Henriques said that the feedback from potential customers has been excellent.
“We have been in contact with a great number of potential customers in the markets we’re aiming and the reactions have so far been very positive and very constructive,” Henriques noted. “There is certainly a lot of interest in this technology, and the contacts we’ve made so far have also helped us adjust our technology to fit the market needs. We’re right now in the process of determining and discussing our first commercial projects.
“We have been paying close attention at the progress that printed electronics has been making over the past years, and we certainly expect things to keep maturing and for more applications to start reaching end-users,” Henriques added. “In our case, we are quite involved with the sector, as progress in other areas of PE could improve our own final integrated product as complementary technologies – e.g. ITO replacements, printed sensors, batteries and other electronics components.”
