Metal can pose a serious problem to a RFID solution especially if you are trying to tag a metallic product. Selecting the proper RFID tag can be the most critical part of the design. I have found several good tags (inlays) from some of the top RFID manufacturers. UPM Raflatac UHF Hammer Metal RFID Tag – Excellent performance in RFID near-metal applications
AS5678 is a requirements specification created by SAE International for the production and test of passive only RFID tags for the Aerospace industry. An AS5678 RFID tag is for use in the aerospace industry. The use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) in the airline industry will get a start with the expected availability of aerospace-standard RFID tags by the end of the year.“That’s what we believe. If it comes to fruition, we’ll be pleased,” said Daryl Remily, deputy program manager of the Boeing.
If you are a manufacturer of RFID tags, labels or cardsand want to get maximum exposure to over 40,000 searches/month of prospective customers using search engines then please contact BlueBean (800-966-7343 or email: http://www.rfidtags.com//contact.php?advertise=1). There are six category sponsorships available at RFIDTags.com (www.rfidtags.com)
- UHF RFID Tags
- UHF RFID Labels and Cards
- HF RFID Tags
- HF RFID Labels and Cards
- LF RFID Tags, Key FOBs and Cards
- Active RFID Tags
Contrary to Tina Turner, frequency like love has everything to do with it. RFID technologies operate at many frequencies, but I will only cover the most common passive ones here: low-frequency (125 MHz), high-frequency (13.56 MHz) and ultra high-frequency (860-960 MHz).
Ultra-high-frequency (UHF) passive RFID solutionsoperate between 860-960 MHz (depending on the country), uses the most power of the three and are less likely to pass through materials. The data transfer rate is faster than LF and HF and the read ranges can be as high as 30 feet or more.
As you can see, frequency plays a role in determining the read range of a solution. Next time I will continue with the role the reader and antennas play.
As I mentioned in my previous blog about the million dollar question, “How far will it read?”, two of the factors are the reader and antennas (and remember we are discussing passive RFID).
Passive UHF RFID readerscan affect the read range depending on the manufacturer and the power level. In the US, FCC regulations cap the output power at 4 watts, whereas in Europe it is only 1 watt. There are studies available for purchase that detail the testing results of readers and antennas in a controlled, RF-friendly environment. These are appropriate for general guidelines, but each environment is different and a reader that did not test at #1 in the study may be the better one in your environment.
Passive UHF RFID antennas can also affect the read range depending on the manufacturer, the type of polarization and the gain. Antennas can be either linearly polarized or circularly polarized. When the direction of the electric field is in one plane, it is called “linear polarization”. When the direction of the electric field is rotated around the axis of propagation, it is called “circular polarization”. Linear polarized antennas will provide a longer read range as compared to circular. Also, an improvement in antenna gain is achieved by focusing the radiated RF into narrower patterns for the purpose of increasing the power in a specific direction. In general, the higher the gain the longer the read range.
My next post will cover how RFID tags affect the read range.
Looking for just the right gift for Valentine’s Day for the technology-savvy person in your life? Well, check out your local Ford dealership…they now have trucks available with RFID to keep track of your tools and other assets!
According to RFIDUpdate, The newest mobile RFID reader is more than six feet wide, 17 feet long, weighs a few thousand pounds, and is known more for its horsepower than its MHz. Ford’s popular F-150 pickup trucks are now available with an RFID reader integrated in the bed to monitor cargo. …Ford Work Solutions is a series of software and services for vehicle, worker, and asset management. It is targeted to contractors and other customers who use their vehicles for work. The applications rely on an in-dash computer now offered as an option for 2009 model year F-150 and F-Series Super Duty pickups and E-Series vans….Customers receive a supply of specially designed Gen2 RFID tags to apply to the tools, toolboxes, containers, or other items they want to track.
So, how cool is that? Your truck can actually track your assets for you and before you leave a site you can check to make sure you have everything you came with!
If this is a little out of your price range, remember that flowers, cards and chocolate work well too! Happy Valentine’s Day.
I was chatting online with one of my fellow bloggers the other day. He was telling me that the warehouse he works in is going to be receiving and processing RFID-tagged items in the near future. Being somewhat of a non-techie himself, especially where RFID is concerned, he asked me if I knew how this might work and if I could explain it in non-techie terms. Well, the first thing I told him was that I had to sit down because no one had ever asked ME for RFID advice before! But seriously, I did know of a great RFID solution for his company…The BlueBean EasyInbound.
The EasyInbound is a RFID case receiving line, specifically designed and engineered to efficiently and accurately process both RFID labeled and non-RFID labeled cases. As the boxes move down the BlueBean EasyInbound RFID case receiving line, the conveyor’s zones control spacing between boxes which allows for proper separation. The box then passes through a lightweight RFID conveyor portal that is framed with RF-reflective mesh screens and over RF-transparent conveyor rollers to ensure bottom read capability. These components provide highly accurate RFID receiving read rates.
Once the box goes through the portal on the EasyInbound RFID case receiving line, the status lights will indicate whether or not the box had an RFID read. If the RFID tag on the box was successfully read, the green status light illuminates and it continues down the line. If the RFID tag was not successfully read, the red status light illuminates and it is automatically pushed off the line and down a conveyor specifically for non-RFID labeled cases or RFID labeled cases that failed to read.
So, now, I tell my friend, his warehouse can process both RFID-tagged and non-RFID shipments. Awesome and, dare I say it, Easy(Inbound)!
So, there you have it, my first bit of RFID advice. Keep those questions coming, fellow bloggers. And, if I don’t know the answer, I’ll check in with one of my fellow RFID techies and attempt to translate to something us non-techies can understand! Looking forward to hearing from you.
With RFID UHF tags, there is a general rule of the thumb: The larger the tag, the longer the read range. This is generally true when comparing tags from the same time period. As with any technology, performance improves while the size decreases over time. Therefore, a 4′ x 4″ tag from 2005 will generally not perform as well as a 2″ x 2″ tag from 2008.
A critical component is the antenna design. Unfortunately, there is no one best antenna design. The optimal design is dependent on the application which includes form factor, size limitations, dielectric characteristics of the material to which it is being attached, frequency optimization, etc.
Another general rule of thumb is that a single dipole tag properly lined up with a linear antenna will have a longer read range than a dual dipole tag with a circular antenna. In my earlier post about RFID antennas, I discussed the difference betwen linear and circular antennas.
Although this is a high-level view, the basic RFID tag factors which affect read range are:
1. size
2. antenna design
3. type
The next in this series will discuss how the item itself affects the read range.
As the mom of two little girls, I am becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues and steps that I can take to make a difference for them and future generations.I use energy-efficient lightbulbs, reuse plastic containers and bags as much as I can, turn off the lights when I don’t need them on and we always make a point to recycle.So when I saw this article about Kraft and its recycling program I was thrilled.Here’s a big manufacturer taking steps to help our environment.
Check it out.Kraft foods has started a pilot program where they reward people for recycling!According to RFID Journal, “Kraft is the “official food sponsor” of RecycleBank, which has been expanding its offering across the United States with technology to weigh recycling bins as they are lifted into the recycling truck, while also recording whose recyclables are being weighed. The consumer can then use that record to download a variety of coupons and other rewards, based on the amount of recycling they did.”Read the article.
So how does RFID play a role?Each bin has a RFID tag and each customer has a unique ID code on their bin and to use when they log in online.
How awesome is that?!?Let’s hope some other manufacturers join in the program too.
As RFID technology matures and the capabilities of RFID equipment improves new and interesting applications arise. BlueBean has recently started a project using active RFID for a electronics retail chain that wants to correlate the amount of time its sales people spend on the show room floor in their respective departments to actual sales.
Hmmm…who would have thought that RFID could drive more sales? We all know how Wal Mart is improving out of stocks by utilizing passive RFID to improve its supply chain but to improve people utilization is an interesting idea. If you have have not spent
time in electronics retail you would be surprised how real-time it is. Managers look at sales and other metrics by the hour so adding an additional metric of sales people location utilization to this mix will allow them to keep optimizing the same resources to drive more sales. MAN I LOVE THIS TECHNOLOGY!
RFIDTags is an RFID consulting and systems integration company focused on RFID solutions, RFID compliance mandates, and simplifying the implementation of RFID technology for companies in the Healthcare industry.
According to RFIDUpdate, 
