Smart packagings - readily available soon
The research centre iPacks packaging technology has been nominated as Sweden’s next billion crown export company. New cooperation with trade and industry, which means that manufacturing costs can be heavily reduced, is a major step on the way.
High-performance print heads which can manage printouts at 1.5 m/s, on plain paper and with slightly special ink – this is how the intelligent packagings will start to seriously take over the market.
Yes, when iPack now goes into phase 2, the research centre can present new collaboration with trade and industry. It is the forestry industry company Korsnäs, the printhead manufacturer Xaar and the ink company Polyscorp together with iPack, that have pooled their resources to reduce manufacturing costs.
Julius Hållstedt, vice chairman of the research centre iPack, is happy about the success.
“Fantastic effects can be produced on paper at the same price as normal printing on paper costs today,” says Julius Hållstedt.
For example, live advertising strips where photographs move across the surface of the paper, packagings which change colour, and displays on cartons which provide information about the product inside.
This is similar to various types of beers where the label on the bottle tells you whether or not the drink is warm or well chilled. A rather basic solution however when compared to the possibilities that iPack is working with.
Julius Hållstedt adds, that smart cartons have every possibility of becoming the next Swedish export success.
“All types of companies that can produce this type of product can be found in Sweden,” says Julius Hållstedt.
Otherwise, phase 2 for iPack means that the research centre will be working a lot with a general commercialisation of different technologies, patenting and also proposals for different standards.
For more information, contact Julius Hållstedt at juliush@kth.se or 08-790 4376.
Peter Larsson