Manufacturing Process for a Traditional Smart Card

Firstly, there are many substrates that can be used for manufacturing a smart card: PVC, PET, PC, PETG….. the list goes on. The aforementioned are considered more traditional materials, there are of course newer materials using recycled materials. I will not go into the intricacies of manufacturing with all substrates, there are “tweaks” needed throughout the process. This blog will stick to the high-level basic process steps for the card body only and not the personalization process.

As a basis we are assuming that the card construction is already identified as a 5 layer product – so no product or process development is included. The artwork is supplied by the customer, whether it is a bank (credit or debit cards), governmental institute (driving license, national identity card, etc….), or private company (building access card or employee identification badge).

• 5 Layer Card Structure:
  • Top Overlay
  • Face Print
  • Inlay
  • Rear Print
  • Rear Overlay (Contains the Magnetic Tape)
• Pre-press:
  • This is where the customer artwork is translated into the required printing processes. This is unique to each manufacturing facility and the equipment used in the printing process. However, this step will be required whether using digital or lithographic printing. It is just a different method of output.
  • As per the card structure, there will be separate print processes for the face and reverse of the finished card.
  • Digital print will require the artwork to be transferred to a CMYK format and loaded directly to the printer.
  • Lithographic will require the image to be transferred to metal printing plates in the desired color setup. This can be CMYK as per digital or additional UV stations included.
• Printing:
  • As touched on above, this can be either Lithographic or Digital for the majority of the process. It can include specific elements that are required by silk screen printing.
  • Traditionally lithography is the dominant printing method in secure cards. Secure cards would be considered to be financial and identity documents.
  • Digital print is making significant progress though, so this may change in time but I do not see it happening within the immediate future.
  • Silkscreen printing can also be required for additional adhesives or surface effects such as Ultraviolet.
• Collation:
  • Once the printed sheets are complete, the card structure will start to take shape via collation of the 5 individual elements.
  • The sheets are collated to form a booklet, this is either done manually or via an automated process – this is a volume decision for each manufacturing location.
  • Once the 5 sheets are collated, checks take place to ensure alignment and orientation of the face, contactless inlay, and reverse of the card.
  • Ultrasonic or thermal welding is usually suited to this process to ensure the collated booklet remains together ahead of the next process.
• Lamination:
  • Thermal lamination is the most commonly used process. Using heating followed by cooling to create a blend of the 5 layers into a single sheet.
  • Thermal lamination can be achieved by either an electrical laminator or oil laminator.
  • Cold lamination is required for more complex cards with sensitive electronics, such as fingerprint readers that are growing in popularity.
• Card Punch:
  • Required to get the individual card from the sheet. Sheets can be in many form factors, 21-up (7 x 3 rows), 24-up (8 x 3 rows), or 48-up (6 x 8 rows) depending on the equipment, process, volume requirements, etc… This is very individual to each production facility.
  • The punch is a mechanical process using a punch tool formed of male and female parts that are the shape of the card (shock horror……)!
• Milling & Embedding:
  • This is technically two separate processes however the vast majority of equipment performs these in a single pass on a machine.
  • Milling is the creation of a pocket or cavity to house the chip module.
  • Embedding is the insertion of the chip module into its pocket or cavity with some form of adhesive. This will also include the electrical connection between the contactless inlay and the chip via contact plates or wire bonding.
• Card Inspection:
  • Final quality assurance steps to visually inspect the physical card body for any imperfections or defects. This stage can be done before Milling & Embedding also, it is not mandatory to do so, it is an operational process decision for each manufacturing location.
  • It will also include an electronic read of the contactless element of the card to ensure functionality.

That concludes a very high-level process overview and hopefully not creating any confusion for you. There will be differences across each manufacturing location, even within the same company using different locations the process will differ. The individual equipment choices will lead the process and the physical card structure will also contribute – there will not be a truly standardized process to suit all cards, however, I hope to have kept this high-level enough to be of some benefit.

Smart Industries Ltd. is a consultancy business with extensive experience in the operations and manufacturing of Smart Cards and RFID Components. If you have further queries please feel free to use the Questions board or visit our website: www.choose-smart.com