The smaller, the better is the tagline for most electronic devices today, and the same applies to the circuits embedded in these devices. These electronic devices comprise flex circuits that can conform to the form and shape of the device. Flexible circuit assemblies have revolutionized electronics applications including near-field communication (NFC) applications by offering innovative design possibilities and versatility. NFC or near field communication is a communication technology that connects two devices in a range of 4cm periphery. Flex assemblies are used in NFC tags designed for applications like electronic payments, security systems for doors, gates, and restricted areas, public transportation systems, product packaging, locking or unlocking doors, event ticketing, and sending messages through smartphones. This post discusses some popular NFC applications and how flex assemblies are applicable in this regard.
How Thin Flexible Substrates Contribute to the Performance of NFC Tags
Thin film substrates such as polyester and polyimide are used in NFC tags. Here’s how they contribute to the performance of these tags.
- Improved Flexibility and Resilience: Polyester and polyamide substrates are known for their flexibility and high tensile strength. This makes NFC tags bendable and twistable without damage in application that demand high flex power, such as wearable devices, and so on. Improved flexibility of substrates also eases the integration of NFC tags into irregular or curved surfaces.
- Thin Profiles: Polyamide and polyester substrates are lightweight and can be manufactured in thin profiles. These properties make them ideal for applications where lightweight tags must be utilized, such as in mobiles or wearable technology devices. The thin profiles of these substrates also help in the aesthetic integration of NFC tags in various products.
- Superior Signal Transmission: Flexible substrates are nowadays engineered to optimize the electromagnetic properties of NFC tags. These engineered substrates help improve the signal reception and transmission capabilities of tags, ensuring their reliable communication with the reading devices in normal and challenging conditions.
- High Thermal and Chemical Stability: The thermal and chemical stability of polyester and polyamide may vary slightly. The operating temperature range of polyester is lower than polyamide, which makes it suitable for applications with moderate temperature ranges. However, polyamide can withstand a wide range of temperatures from -55°C to 450°C and beyond. Both these substrates exhibit high chemical degradation. This stability ensures the NFC tags will operate reliability in chemical-laden environments.
- Cost Effectiveness: Polyester and polyamide substrates are manufactured in large quantities, and are affordable. This affordability has helped manufacturers include them in NFC tags at large scale, thereby making NFC technology more economical and accessible for a wide range of applications.
How NFC Tags Are Transforming Industries and Their Functioning
The versatility and use of NFC tags across the industries have helped enhance customer experiences and improve business outcomes.
- Automotive: Vehicles nowadays come with complete infotainment systems. You can use an NFC tag to start your car radio via Bluetooth and play your favorite music. You can also connect your smartphone to your car Bluetooth device, and check for playlists in your phone, use GPS to trace a location, or turn off the screen while charging your phone.
- Medical and Health Tech: Here, NFC tags are used for patient identification and authentication as they can store their information such as personal details, medical history, allergies if any, current medication, and more. So, this application falls in the access control category where the concerned staff can access the required patient information. NFC tags also help streamline the process. There are NFC-enabled wearable devices for monitoring of certain physiological parameters, such as security patches. These tags help in regularly upgrading software and firmware in these devices to get the latest features and functionalities. Users can pay online via NFC at POS terminals installed at pharmacies and hospital billing counters.
- Security: There are secured NFC tags that work as an anti-counterfeiting solution and prevent designers and engineers from using counterfeit components. Specialized tags using cryptography that come with open standard security architecture are now being developed for resistance to physical attacks. This helps authenticate and secure original brands of products and accessories. NFC tags are used to power smart locks and keyless locking systems in hotels, service apartments, and more.
- IoT: NFC technology is present in all smartphones. NFC tags can be embedded in ID cards, wearable devices and more to ensure authorized access and track work hours in offices, and so on. Similarly, NFC-based automation apps are used to configure devices in automation systems in homes, offices, gated communities, vehicles, and more. They are used to create smart gestures when interacting with your phone.
If you are a manufacturer of compact yet complex electronic devices for payments, gaming, and several near field applications, you may be using NFC tags with flex circuits. If you need small yet flexible NFC tags, it is best to opt for custom NFC tags by partnering with a reliable electronics contract manufacturing player in this segment. Automated Assembly Corporation is a known player in the flexible electronics segment. As a known flex circuit manufacturer, we use patented wire-winding and SMT-Flex® technologies to create robust yet flexible custom NFC tags for our industrial clients. For any further information regarding these flexible circuit processes and applications, you can contact us today via phone or email.
