Market forces such as the RFID mandates from Target, Wal-Mart, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) have many manufacturers and suppliers focused on RFID simply as a compliance tool, overlooking the significant additional benefits of habitual identification technology.
In fact, by design, RFID enables superior supply chain efficiency and inventory management, resulting in increased productivity and accountability, decreased shrinkage, and a more robust bottom line RFID tag manufacturers.
A packaging supplier who is knowledgeable about evolving RFID technology and applications is a valuable resource to help you maximize ROI with your RFID integration.
RFID systems are completely customizable with infinite combinations of hardware and software. Each system is comprised of a transponder, a reader, and software. for a complete clarification of RFID technology.) In this article, we compare several forms of the RFID transponder and discuss the possible applications of each.
RFID transponders are available in a variety of mediums, including:
- Smart tags
- Chipless tags
- Smart labels
- Conductive ink
- Tracelesstaggants
A smart tag is a microchip RFID transponder, which includes an integrated circuit (IC) and an antenna, encased in a protective covering. Smart tags most commonly enclose a silicon-based IC and a copper coil antenna, although demand for less expensive tags has spurred the development of organic alternatives and chipless tags.
Smart tags can be applied to pallets, cases, or item-level units at any point in the supply chain, or included in the product packaging at the RFID tag supplier point of production. They are readable through most materials (except liquid and metal) and many smart tag systems include anti-collision software, to enable multiple tags to be read concurrently.
A basic smart tag offers a 96-bit EPC, which provides more than sufficient data storage capacity to track and trace items from point of manufacture to point of sale. Gen 2 tags offer a 256-bit EPC code, appropriate for particular applications that require extensive data storage, such as the instruction drug full-blooded.
Smart tags can be applied either externally to product packaging or embedded within the package or case. They are inconspicuous and do not hinder graphic design elements, making them an easy addition to most consumer goods packaging.
Smart tags can also be implanted in key chain fobs or rigid plastic cards. Automobile keyless entry and Mobil Speed Pass are two well-known examples.
A chipless tag is an RFID tag that transmits data via either a conductive polymer or a thoughtful material instead of an IC microchip. Conductive polymer tags function the same way as RFID smart tags do, differing only in component material.
Reflective tags return a radio wave image to a computer that compares it with the identifying image on file for that item. A positive match means the item is correctly recognized. Tags with RF-reflecting fibers can be woven into paper or fabric for specialized applications.
Although chipless tags typically cost less than silicon-based tags, their use in supply chain management is limited by their incapability to read multiple tags at one time.
A smart label is simply a label with an RFID tag integrated into it. An RFID microchip is sandwiched between a paper substrate and an adhesive, resulting in an RFID transponder that can be printed and applied like a conventional label.
Smart labels are frequently used for “slap and ship”, which is the term for affixing an RFID label to a case or pallet just before it is shipped from the supplier to the retailer. Because the label is applied outwardly (to the case or pallet) as the final step before shipping, benefits of “slap and ship” have generally been limited to fulfillment with retailer requirements.
However, if you think of a smart label as a flexible, printable RFID device, it is easy to imagine creative ways to incorporate it into independently packaged products.
Conductive ink, also called RFID ink, is considered by many to be the most thrilling recent development in the printing industry. Precisia and Parelec are two of the companies that have developed conductive metal-based inks.
So far, conductive inks have been limited to printing RFID antennas directly onto labels and packaging through conservative printing methods. Research is ongoing to devise a method of printing the IC with RFID ink.
The use of conductive ink considerably lowers the cost of RFID tagging and offers smart tag security with exceptional application flexibility.
The newest form of RFID tag is Creo’s Traceless® taggant. Traceless® is a powder that is mixed with ink or other fluid and applied to product packaging during manufacturing. Suspending the powder particles in fluid allows them to form an accidental pattern known as the “taggant image signature”. A computer records/retains this signature as the item’s unique identifier, like the EPC of traditional RFID.
