From FlexIC to NFC tag: after procurement … what happens next?

Senior Assembly Integration Manager, Ebony Leonard, explains the journey from FlexIC procurement to fully assembled NFC tags.

OK, so you’ve got your NFC Connect FlexICs and you’re ready to turn them into fully assembled, production-ready NFC tags. Now what?

While it’s not difficult, moving to a new technology always has a few nuances that it’s important to get right. The role of my team is to make that transition smooth, predictable and fast, helping to move from initial trials to reliable production quickly, and with confidence.

Here’s how that journey typically unfolds.

Step one: commercial alignment and technical connection

First, we’ll introduce our technical team to yours. Early alignment is critical to move the conversation from procurement into the practical realities of inlay assembly.

While you probably have extensive experience in assembling silicon-based NFC inlays, FlexICs behave a little differently. To help you get it right first time, we’ll share our inlay assembly guide, recommended tooling specifications and guidance on incoming material handling, as well as answering any initial technical questions. This early information sharing helps you to get to grips with the process – what’s similar to silicon assembly, and what’s not.

We’ll then lay out an initial plan to check the readiness of your machines.

Our technical and commercial teams will work through a checklist with you to ensure that your inlay assembly machine has the correct “Big Chip” upgrades needed to accommodate the FlexIC’s larger footprint. These typically centre on the vision systems and the tooling. We’ll also advise on a compatible inline testing solution that will allow immediate feedback on functionality and robustness of the process as we work through step two.

Step two: machine readiness and initial build plan

Before full production, we’ll help you ensure that equipment, tooling and process parameters are optimised for the ultra-thin, flexible nature of FlexICs.

Our approach is methodical and transparent. Rather than leaving you to discover the nuances of flexible assembly through iteration, we share detailed guidance from the outset – accelerating the learning curve and building trust through open technical dialogue.

Many customers understandably begin with the processes they know. However, FlexICs respond differently to mechanical stress. Handling pressure must be carefully controlled, for example. Tooling geometry requires validation, and process parameters may need adjustment. Without this, mechanical damage can occur during assembly.

The most common issues arise when existing silicon-optimised tooling is used without modification, process settings are too aggressive or handling considerations from our assembly guide are overlooked.

By engaging early and following a structured setup plan, we can avoid the initial loop of trial, damage, failure analysis, repeat. Instead, we can move straight to a successful process, tuned specifically for flexible devices.

It’s a win-win scenario: you gain an appreciation for how FlexICs behave, and we gain insight into your production environment. The result is a collaborative optimisation process rather than reactive troubleshooting. This significantly increases the probability of successful initial trials.

Step three: achieving success together

We recommend that the first run is completed on one of our standard antennas, to allow a baseline to be set. We’ll often attend initial build runs in-person. Being on-site allows us to troubleshoot in real time, share best practice, and ensure first trials generate useful data rather than avoidable failures.

By preventing avoidable mechanical damage and reducing the need for repeated failure analysis, we shorten the machine readiness phase. This accelerates the transition from pilot builds to stable production.

Flexible NFC devices unlock new form factors and applications. But unlocking their full potential requires an understanding of how they behave in real manufacturing environments. We ensure that you’ll never have to navigate that learning curve alone.

Find out more about FlexIC technology

Learn more about inlay assembly