ROUSSET, FRANCE, June11, 2012- Smart Packaging Solutions’ Embedded Contactless Module is now available for mass production. This patent-protected technology from SPS allows Identity
Document producers to manufacture contactless smart cards the same way, and with the same equipment as contact cards, thus leading to better quality cards and higher yields.
SPS announces that its award-winning Embedded Contactless Module technology is now available for quantity shipments. With this technology, card manufacturers are able to manufacture their cards combining card bodies, with inlays without chips, and, at the end of the process, to embed a micro-module supporting the chip. This way, the manufacturing process is identical for contact, contactless and dual technology cards, allowing the smart card manufacturer to take advantage of the same production equipment. Card vendors only have to support one process making their production organization and management procedures more cost-efficient. Thanks to SPS Embedded Contactless Module, yields for contactless cards are now comparable to those of contact cards.
Imprimerie Nationale, the French national printer has already adopted SPS Embedded Contactless Module process, to manufacture many of its identity documents, including foreign resident cards, among others. The process has allowed Imprimerie Nationale to develop a very flexible manufacturing process while guaranteeing high yields.
“With SPS Embedded Contactless Module, we are now able to better follow the variety of requests coming from governments, and to deliver easily contact, contactless and dual technology cards. We now embed modules the same way for all three types of cards, allowing our yields to become a lot better than with the previous process, based on classical inlays,” said Mr. Didier TRUTT, CEO at Imprimerie Nationale. SPS Embedded Contactless Module won a Sesame award, in November 2011,during the CARTES & Identification trade show in Paris.
Previously, to manufacture contactless cards, manufacturers used to purchase inlays in sheets already mounted with the chip, and then, to laminate them with plastic card sheets. The result of this method was that many functional chips were lost when they were laminated with defective card bodies. For instance, card bodies defects may come from printing issues, hologram stamping issues, or the polycarbonate material may have crept… This process led to throw away many good functional chips because of defective card bodies, thus increasing the global cost of functional finished products.
Now, with Smart Packaging Solutions’ Embedded Contactless Module, contactless
cards are manufactured the same way as traditional contact cards. Antennas are delivered by SPS to contactless card manufacturers in the form of sheets, without the chip, they are then laminated with plastic card sheets. After this lamination step, the card manufacturer is able to eliminate card bodies affected by printing, hologram, or material defects. These eliminated card bodies do not carry a chip, therefore representing a minimal cost. After this step, the card manufacturer embeds the chip, in the form of a micro-module, delivered by SPS, fixing a good functional chip in a good well-printed card body.
As a result of this technology, only card bodies with printing defects, without chips are thrown away. Good chips are always embedded in good cards. The whole process allows to achieve yields well over 99%, in line with the traditional contact card manufacturing process yields.
About SPS
With more than 20 years of experience in the field of smart card technologies, Smart Packaging Solutions is specialized in the design, manufacturing and sale of contactless solutions dedicated to ID cards, e-passport and dual interface banking cards. Headquartered in Rousset, France, SPS employs 100 people. The company specializes in contactless and dual-interface products, with a recognized micro packaging expertise. SPS has filed over 120 patents supporting its exclusive
technologies. More information at www.s-p-s.com
Contact
Olivier BRUNET, Product & Marketing director, SPS, contact@s-p-s.com
tel: +33 4 42 53 84 44
