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Sony develops printable bioplastic FeliCa Smart Card
Sony Corp. (TSE:6758) has developed a bioplastic version of its FeliCa contactless smart card that can be used for photo identification cards and other applications that involve printing.
Smart cards made from plant-derived plastics do not take printing well, so applications to date have been limited to uses like health insurance cards.
To get around this problem, Sony uses a proprietary additive to strengthen the plant-derived plastic and covers the card with a thin sheet of petroleum-derived plastic on which photos and lettering can be clearly printed .
The result is an environmentally friendlier FeliCa contactless smart card that can be used for student cards, employee cards and other applications where a picture ID is required or printed patterns are desired. Plant-derived plastic accounts of 46 per cent of the total weight of the new card, excluding the electronics.
As a first application, Sony will introduce the new cards for student and teacher IDs at an affiliated technical school next spring. Meanwhile, it will work to modify the bioplastic to accommodate the holographic patterns and contact-type smart-card chips of credit cards and cash cards.