The use of radio frequency identification in printing

In 2003, a Japanese printing company installed Japan's first Variweb system at its modern production facility. The device is equipped with new components that facilitate the on-line application of radio frequency identification (RFID) converters. The company regards this new technology as a new development opportunity, and strives to open up new application areas for customers in the forms paper and securities printing business.

Form paper and mail order products are ideal media for carrying electronically stored information, and radio frequency identification converters are ideal storage components. The converter body is small and easy to install on printed products. In terms of readability and information storage, the converter is far superior to other encoding systems such as bar codes and matrix systems. From a production perspective, Hunkeler's Variweb system ensures efficient processing.

Today, integrated or glued cards and tags are no longer just tools for intuitive communication. The combination of printed information and electronically stored information can produce synergies. Taiyodo expects to effectively transform this synergy to create added value for existing customers and new customers. In addition to the production of forms, Taiyodo specializes in securities printing. Securities printing mainly focuses on trademark protection. For example, when printing lottery tickets and tickets, attention should be paid to anti-counterfeit effects. This provides a place for radio frequency identification converters and provides a platform for the implementation of new safety standards.

In addition, Taiyodo plans to use the converter for printing identification cards for members of health insurance companies.
The new Variweb line is professionally configured for book stack production. Intermediate glue modules (using hot melt or cold glue) combined with coating, die cutting, and trimming capabilities are easy to integrate with specific production requirements. Integrated labels and cards as well as self-adhesive cards can be processed on the same module that processes the RFID transponders.

The converter is moved into place by the coating module, which allows online personalization of forms and mail directly. Two sets of modular reading units are provided, one of which is mounted on the coating module and the other is on the FS4 folding stacker for checking the quality of the microchip. Defective converters are automatically ejected or marked for manual removal during subsequent printing. This review feature ensures reliable proofreading quality and is beneficial to converter suppliers and customers.

In addition to a wide range of functions, Variweb technology also features easy operation. At the same time, the set-up time can also be shortened, resulting in a significant reduction in waste and a significant increase in production efficiency in the small print volumes that the market is increasingly demanding. For the coating and die-cutting functions, the system is equipped with a touch-screen interface and central control via an intelligent operating panel to provide a fully variable web size. Therefore, the conversion of mechanical components has become history. In addition to its flexibility, the system uses a direct drive concept to provide long-term investment protection. Since the modules are relatively independent, the replacement of the parts in the wire is very simple and the parts can be added at any time later.

The application of radio frequency identification provides the company with tremendous opportunities for development. The potential market far exceeds the securities and health care markets that the company now serves. There are many potential application areas, including remote access authorization, event visitor identification, and incoming/outgoing inspection of goods logistics. Printed forms and value-added forms serve as delivery media and will play a central role in the above application areas.

With radio frequency identification technology, forms and e-mails that are now more passive will be converted into intelligent print media with two-way communication capabilities. The principle of radio frequency identification converter is electromagnetic wave transmission. With this system, there is no need for optical or physical contact with the memory, and data exchange can be ensured at any time, regardless of the relative position or speed of the registered product. Information can be read outside the converter and can be processed reliably, without exception under adverse conditions such as moisture and dust.

Source: PACK.CN