David Savastano, Editor02.11.09
At the time, Eveready’s R&D teams were developing a wide range of new battery technologies. However, a change in corporate philosophy would soon follow, and some of the most promising ideas were spun out.
As a result, Thin Battery Technologies (TBT) came into being in 2002. Now, six years later, TBT is Blue Spark Technologies, and the company is successfully leveraging its experience from its Eveready beginnings as it commercializes printed batteries in applications ranging from food safety and novelties to medical patches and credit cards.
“We think printed batteries are a game-changing technology, which will lead entrepreneurs to think about things differently,” said Matthew Ream, Blue Spark’s vice president of marketing. “The imagination is the limit.”
The Beginnings of Blue Spark Technologies
The foundation of Blue Spark Technologies can be found in the R&D efforts of Eveready. Mr. Ream noted that late in the 1990s, Eveready put R&D resources into developing new directions in battery technologies, led by Gary Tucholski, who is a member of the Eveready Hall of Fame. Eveready spent more than $10 million in R&D, but, as Mr. Ream noted, “it was a technology in search of a solution.”
By 2000, Eveready’s leadership had decided to focus on consumer products, and the company was rebranded as Energizer Holdings. By 2001, the company’s R&D team that had developed the testers and other flexible batteries was spun off to Early Stage Partners, a Cleveland, OH-based venture capital firm.
To help the fledgling company along, Eveready identified the key inventors, who moved over to the new company, which became known as Thin Battery Technologies. Mr. Tucholski was among the key leaders to join the new company; all told, the company had a collective 200 years of battery design, development, application and production expertise.
“The core of our company was the team that developed the battery testers,” Mr. Ream said. “Many of our leaders had more than 20 years in battery experience, and virtually all of our engineering department came from Eveready.”
Ready for Commercialization
During its first few years, the company worked to get the technology ready for commercial production, developing roll-to-roll screen printing capabilities. By 2006, the company began supplying batteries for Sealed Air Corporation’s TurboTag RFID Monitoring System, a smart card temperature monitor and data logger designed for use with cold chain storage, packaging and shipping of temperature-sensitive food products. The TurboTag is a featured technology in Sealed Air’s Cold Chain Solutions business segment, where temperature control assurance and product integrity are critical.
Today, the company’s customers include manufacturers, product designers, and integrators across multiple industries, including consumer package goods; packaging; RFID; pharmaceutical/drug delivery and cosmetics; novelty/gift cards; and a wide range of other industry applications. The company’s team of engineers and manufacturing experts develop customized solutions from product design to production.
Outside of its customized solutions, Blue Spark offers standardized solutions, beginning with its ST (Standard) Series, the company’s original patented thin printed battery design, built on 1.5 V carbon-zinc battery chemistry. The Blue Spark HD (High-Drain) Series is designed for applications requiring an extra boost of power during peak current delivery.
Blue Spark’s UT (Ultra-Thin) Series represents the industry’s thinnest printed battery currently in production, with a 30 percent slimmer laminate profile (as thin as 500 microns ~ 0.020 in), according to the company. Overall voltage, storage capacity and thickness can be adjusted according to each customer’s power requirements. Ultra-thin form factor applications include transit tickets, loyalty cards, smart cards and RFID smart labels. In addition, innovative new products such as printed displays are being designed by the gaming, financial and other industries, using UT batteries.
Blue Spark’s batteries are found in a variety of applications. One area of opportunity is transdermal patches for drug delivery, wound care and cosmetic applications. They are also found on interactive smart cards and tickets, as well as novelty items such as musical greeting cards, interactive packaging and functional merchandising displays.
Blue Spark’s batteries are also ideal in supply chain management, ranging from battery-assisted RF-enabled devices and tags designed to track products, speed transactions and provide instant authentication, to RF-linked sensors that measure time, temperature, humidity, shock, etc., and even low cost active RFID and real-time locating systems (RTLS).
Blue Spark continues to enjoy growth. It has recently produced its 400,000 battery. In July, the company changed its name to Blue Spark Technologies, emphasizing the benefits it brings to the marketplace.
“The Blue Spark name and brand aptly expresses the qualities of our printed electronics energy solutions and our corporate vision – new, innovative, practical and eco-friendly,” said Mr. Ream.
In November, the company held the grand opening of its new world headquarters facility in Westlake, OH.
“This move represents a strategic step towards our goal of growing the company globally by increasing our ability to bring our customized thin, flexible power sources to a wide range of industries,” said Gary Johnson, Blue Spark’s president and CEO.
Ultimately, Blue Spark’s goal is to be able to print the batteries along with other parts of the application, such as electronically printed integrated circuits.
“Our long-term vision is being able to print the battery and application in a single pass,” Mr. Ream concluded. “We believe that printed electronics and thin printed batteries will continue to lead to the creation of new applications