Microencapsulation from Encapsys

The Challenge

It was the 1950s. And the National Cash Register Company was looking for a way to replace the ink ribbons in their cash registers. While the ribbons worked well initially, they didn't wear well, with sales receipts becoming less and less legible the longer they were in use.

The solution, they believed, could be found in a new technology one of their scientists had developed called chemical microencapsulation. By encapsulating the ink inside a solid shell, they believed they could apply a coating laden with the ink-filled capsules to receipt paper. The ink would then be released when the capsules were broken from the impact of the cash register keys.

They quickly realized that microencapsulation also had enormous implications for carbon paper. Like the force of the cash register keys, the mechanical force applied by writing could be used to release the ink. This would eliminate the need for carbon paper, solving another of their problems - the high cost of the carbon interleaves in their sales books.

The Partnership

Of course, getting the concept out of the lab and onto a piece of paper was easier said than done. NCR Corporation approached several potential partners. But no one was able to overcome the technical challenges involved, namely keeping the capsules intact through the coating and shipping process. Fortunately, they called us.

Unlike other companies, we fully devoted ourselves to the project and were willing to “try anything.” You might say it was our first foray into open innovation. Working together, we overcame the problems of coating paper with microcapsules. To ensure the capsules weren't damaged during application, we used a special air knife that coats paper without using pressure. Traditional paper-rolling techniques were also a problem. So we refitted our plant with padded floors to accommodate the new paper.

The Result

In 1987, the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) called carbonless paper one of the most important paper-related innovations of the past half-century. Without messy carbon interleaves to deal with, paper transactions became easier, faster and cleaner. It was truly an industry-changing collaboration, with over 400 tons of carbonless paper sold in the first year alone. Fifty years later, we're still the largest carbonless paper producer in the world.

We've also worked to perfect the art of microencapsulation, extending its use into fields as diverse as agriculture and packaged goods.