US packaging firm takes a shine to Swedish thermochromic displays

Sara Ver-Bruggen - 30 Apr 2010

A global packaging and paper products firm in the US could trial a point-of-sale (POS) concept based on a current-driven thermochromic display technology from a Swedish start-up.

Hägersten-based Polyscorp's nano-engineered inks and other technology results in displays based on vibrant Pantone colours at affordable cost.

Polyscorp's core offering is a development kit for invigorating low-cost paper and board-based applications with moving displays, indicators and even scents. Potential customers can choose from 30 of what the company calls active inks; a specially developed driver, which is about to undergo testing; and a specialised substrate based on G-Print paper.

The company was set up in 2006 by Lars Andersson, an artist with a background in painting cars, bikes and designing signage.

'After using thermochromic inks I began thinking we should make these pixellated,' Andersson explains. The work began about 15 years ago and included Andersson experimenting with an old IBM inkjet printer and patent applications.

'I now have great team of engineers including a leading ink expert and an engineer from Korea responsible for using nanotechnology to advance the inks,' he adds.

Testing

After testing the driver, the kit will be sent to the US firm and a couple of its printing suppliers to trial. POS products based on Polyscorp's technology could start appearing in retail stores internationally by the end of 2010.

While the kit costs can vary based on the lifetime demanded of the ink, Polyscorp has worked with raw materials suppliers to help drive down costs. Displays based on the inks can be inherently secure, as only Polyscorp's drivers achieve the best performance from them. Initially the displays will be based on a limited range of colours while the market for them becomes more established.

The inks can work with a range of presses, including screen and offset, but Andersson sees long-term potential with inkjet, which is economical for runs between 500-3,000 and can be linked into computer systems within supply chains.

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