The following are news announcements made during the past week.
Alien Technology Unveils New 4-Port Fixed UHF Reader
Alien Technology has announced its ALR-9680 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 reader, featuring four monostatic antenna ports. The device will be demonstrated in booth 326 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2. The rugged reader is housed in a slim-height metal chassis measuring 1 1/4 inches tall and supports all cabling on a single side, making it suitable for physically restricted locations and/or areas with limited cabling. The ALR-9680 supports the Alien Reader Protocol, which enables on-reader processing, making it suitable for small, cost-sensitive rollouts, as well as large-scale implementations with a need to minimize the amount of central processing consumed by each interrogator. This local processing allows for increased scalability, the company reports, as well as reduced central computer infrastructure and cost. The reader features Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) that can take power from any existing Ethernet infrastructure, allowing the device to be used in tight areas lacking a power supply. The ALR-9680 is available today in North America and China, with other regions to follow. Alien is also offering a Developer’s Kit that comes with an ALR-9680 reader, a circular polarized antenna, a software developer’s kit (SDK) that is available via download, a universal power supply, an RS-232 cable, an Ethernet cable, sample tags and a carrying case.
Tageos Expands Its Product Range With RFID Hangtags
Tageos has announced its release of RFID labels in a new hangtag format. According to the company, four out of the six products in its line of 100 percent paper-based, inlayless passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID labels are now available in a new printable hangtag format, in addition to their previous availability as self-adhesive labels. According to the company, the new hangtag format is suitable for item-level tagging of assets that do not work well with adhesive labels, such as large sporting goods, shoes and hanging apparel. The hangtags can be attached via plastic fasteners or a thread. Tageos’ products, available now in both self-adhesive and hangtag formats, include the EOS-500, measuring 4.33 inches by 1.18 inches, and the EOS-400, measuring 3.22 inches by 0.98 inch, for apparel, logistics and asset-tracking applications; the EOS-300, measuring 2.60 inches by 1.53 inches, for apparel applications; and the EOS-200, measuring 2.36 inches by 0.98 inch, for small apparel, fashion accessories and cosmetics applications. All are ready-to-use and printable on both sides, and come equipped with either Higgs-3 or Higgs-4 chips from Alien Technology. As an optional service to its customers, Tageos may print either one or both sides of the hangtag with fixed data in black and white or full color. With this service, customers receive ready-to-use labels, branded to their specifications, that can be printed and encoded with variable data. In addition, one of the two sides may be printed with variable data by Tageos’ customers themselves (or by their preferred service bureau), leveraging the variable-data-printing capabilities offered by Tageos’ certified printing-encoding partners, Zebra Technologies, Toshiba and Printronix. The European EPC Competence Center (EECC) has certified the EOS-300 and the EOS-400 for use in apparel applications, and the EOS-500 for logistics applications, while the University of Arkansas has tested the EOS-500 for use in apparel applications. Tageos will demonstrate the tags in booth 612 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2. The company will feature a reproduction of a fashion apparel store aisle, in which it will demonstrate how its RFID hangtags and self-adhesive labels together support the simplified tagging of apparel and fashion accessories of all shapes and sizes. Free samples of all Tageos products may be ordered from anywhere in the world, via the company’s Web site.
Metalcraft Announces Destructible RFID Windshield Tags
Metalcraft has announced the availability of its Destructible RFID Windshield Tag, an EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) tag designed to securely provide a long read range at a lower cost for customers automating vehicle tracking and access control, the company reports. In a prepared statement, Steve Doerfler, Metalcraft’s president and CEO, said the new tag is made with a destructible material that makes it “virtually impossible to remove from the windshield in one piece—increasing the security of the tag and range of useful applications this RFID tag. This is the perfect product for access control applications where security is a high priority or you want to eliminate the transfer of tags to other vehicles.” The Destructible RFID Windshield Tag measures 4 3/8 inches by 1 1/8 inches, and can be placed on the interior of an automobile’s windshield. According to Metalcraft, the tag can be printed on both sides—one side with variable copy, like a bar code, and the other with constant repeating content, such as a logo or disclaimer. Each tag has strategically placed security slits that assist in the tag’s destruction when it is being removed from a product. The passive RFID label provides a read range of more than 18 feet, and supports 496 bits of Electronic Product Code (EPC) memory and 512 bits of user memory. The Destructible RFID Windshield Tag will be on display in booth 823 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2. Metalcraft has also announced that it is now a member of Xerafy‘s Metal Skin Converter program, a designation that will combine Xerafy’s low-profile UHF Gen 2 inlays with Metalcraft’s efficiency in producing durable, reusable RFID labels for asset tracking, access control and other applications in harsh environments. Xerafy’s Metal Skin RFID labels are ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID inlays compliant with EPCglobal‘s standards, and are designed for tracking metal assets (see RFID News Roundup: Xerafy Introduces Flexible UHF Inlay for Tracking Metal Assets). Metalcraft’s RFID converting services include inline programming of inlays; subsurface printing of logos, copy, bar codes and other fixed or variable data; full encapsulation of high-frequency (HF) or UHF inlays in polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene or polycarbonate; die-cutting to a custom size; customized attachment options, including hangtags; and isolated constructions for mounting to metal surfaces.
Serialio Debuts, Demos New RFID Products
Serialio (pronounced “serial IO”), a provider of RFID mobile data solutions, has announced that it will unveil and showcase several new RFID products in booth 736 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2. Visitors at LIVE! will be able to test Serialio’s new wireless RFID Scanfob Ultra-BB2 solution, an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID scanner that is the size of the keyfob and works with wireless Bluetooth radio, so it can share data with mobile applications running on Android and Apple iOS4 devices (iPad, Mini, iPhone and iPod). According to the company, the Scanfob scanner can easily fit in a shirt pocket or in the palm of a hand, and can be recharged via a standard USB port with the supplied cable. Serialio will also demonstrate and showcase its line of mobile solutions, including idChamp (a family of Proximity HID, high-frequency(HF), iClass badge and tag readers for iOS, Android, Mac, Microsoft Windows, and more), as well as software for the ScanFob, including Grid-In-Hand Mobile Grid (for data collection) and Order-In-Hand Mobile Order (for managing and tracking mobile orders). In addition to its off-the-shelf products, Serialio also provides custom RFID solutions. The company developed an RFID system consisting of passive EPC Gen 2 RFID tags and readers, as well as software to manage the collected read data, which is being used by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment to track headgear retrieved from youth football groups, in order to carry out tests (see RFID Helps NOCSAE Study Youth Football Helmets).
William Frick Intros High Temperature RFID tag for Manufacturing, Industrial Applications
William Frick & Co., a supplier of RFID technology, has announced the availability of its SmartMark High Temperature Foam Backed RFID Tag, designed to help streamline manufacturing operations and improve quality control. The passive read-write tags are ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 tags that are ISO/IEC 18000-6C-compliant and feature an Alien Technology Higgs-3 chip. The tags were initially developed for a large vehicle manufacturer, to tag parts in its powder-coating paint line in order to provide tracking and verification of process time and color. Because the time required to process each part is dependent on the specific paint color, William Frick explains, the use of the tags helps the manufacturer maintain quality, speed up operations planning and lower production costs, by streamlining the once-laborious task of matching parts with the correct paint characteristics. The SmartMark High Temperature Foam Backed RFID Tag is designed to withstand harsh chemicals and temperatures ranging from 250 degrees to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees to 204 degrees Celsius), the company indicates, making them suitable for tracking and identifying parts through industrial high-temperature finishing processes, such as drying, curing, paint or powder-coating lines. A metal-mount adhesive on the foam-backed tags prevents damage to or tampering with the part’s design, and the consumable tag can be discarded after the process has been completed. SmartMark labels can be customized for each application, including such information as printed bar codes, corporate logos, serial numbers and messages. The RFID tags can be read directly on metal, the company reports, and the label form factor allows for human-readable verification. William Frick will demonstrate the SmartMark High Temperature Foam Backed RFID Tags and other tagging solutions in booth 543 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2.
MTI Wireless Launches New Family of Slim, Low-Profile RFID Antennas
MTI Wireless Edge, a developer of flat-panel antennas, has announced a new family of slim-line antennas that cover both ETSI and FCC frequency bands. According to MTI, the antennas measure only 12 millimeters (0.47 inch) in thickness, giving them an extremely low profile and making them suitable for a variety of applications, including electronic article surveillance (EAS), smart shelves, narrow doorways and slim portals. The antenna family is specifically designed for direct wall mounting, the company notes, and to suit any application requiring a slim antenna. The new family of antennas will debut in booth 232 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2. MTI offers three slim-line antenna models that work in the 865 to 870 MHz and 902 to 928 MHz frequency bands. The MT-262042/CLH is an LHCP shelf antenna measuring 700 millimeters by 250 millimeters (27.6 inches by 9.8 inches) and weighing 1.75 kilograms (3.85 pounds), with a radome of plastic. The MT-242063/CLH is an RFID Conveyor Side antenna measuring 710 millimeters by 310 millimeters (28 inches by 12.2 inches), with a radome of painted fiberglass, while the MT-262045/CRH antenna measures 120 millimeters by 120 millimeters (4.7 inches by 4.7 inches).
Voyantic Launches New HF Tag Performance Measurement System
Voyantic, an RFID testing solutions provider based in Finland, intends to unveil a new system for measuring the performance of high-frequency (HF) passive RFID tags, including those complying with the Near Field Communication (NFC) standards. The tool is designed to help evaluate the functionality and characteristics of HF tags, according to Voyantic, so that organizations can bring new tag designs to market faster, improve quality control and improve application design and other activities. The system helps determine tag sensitivity and provides visibility into parameters essential for tag research and development (R&D) activities, as well as for the monitoring of production quality, the company reports. The Voyantic Tagformance HF solution will be unveiled in booth 200 at next week’s RFID Journal LIVE! 2013 conference and exhibition, being held in Orlando, Fla., from Apr. 30 to May 2. Specifically, the system is designed to help developers verify tag tuning and sensitivity using a single tool, benchmark different tags or tag ICs, study the effects of materials and tag stacking, test tag samples from production and perform onsite troubleshooting. Finland’s Tampere University of Technology has been testing the new Tagformance HF. In a prepared statement, Leena Ukkonen, a professor at the university, said the system is easy to use, adding that “the measurement data created in a few days immediately led to a publication manuscript.” All of the Tagformance HF’s functionalities can be controlled via a graphical user interface that follows the same logic found in the Tagformance UHF system, which is being employed by a variety of organizations, including Tampere University of Technology and HID Global (see RFID News Roundup: HID Global Deploys Voyantic Tagsurance UHF Tester for Tag Quality Control). “During the first trials,” Ukkonen said, “we were delighted to notice that the Tagformance HF is as easy to use as the widely adopted Tagformance UHF system, which we have been using for years in our RFID research projects.” The Tagformance HF Measurement System consists of the Voyantic Tagformance HF Measurement Unit, control software for a PC and measurement accessories. It operates in a frequency range of 0 to 28 MHz, has an output power range of -1 0 to +24 dBm, and supports the ISO 15693 and ISO 14443 A and B standards, as well as FeliCa.
Lockheed Martin Chooses RFID Revolution’s RFID Essentials E-learning to Boost Productivity from RFID
RFID Revolution, a provider of RFID education and consulting services, has announced that Lockheed Martin is now utilizing its RFID Essentials interactive Web-based course to educate Lockheed’s employees regarding the fundamentals of radio frequency identification. Lockheed Martin has been using RFID for several years for a variety of applications, including the tracking of components for the timely repair of customer equipment, as well as the authentication of parts and subassemblies within its supply chain (see Lockheed Martin Uses RFID to Help Track Stealth Fighter). RFID Revolution’s RFID Essentials, the company explains, is an interactive RFID e-learning tool designed to help professionals understand the technology, how to apply it and how to measure the return on investment. Users learn to identify the most promising applications in their enterprise and jumpstart projects. They can complete the course in about eight hours, at their own pace, from any Internet connection. Lockheed Martin selected RFID Essentials in November 2012, RFID Revolution reports, and the training tool is now in use. “By improving visibility of objects and reducing human error through automation, RFID technology can positively impact a vast array of operations and products,” said Denton Clark, Lockheed Martin’s corporate AIT manager, in a prepared statement. “But incorporating a new technology into operations can be disruptive. Lockheed turned to RFID Essentials to get hundreds of employees up to speed, so they feel comfortable. The more people understand, the more they can envision how to use RFID in our company and even across the industry. We need to take full advantage of our human capital in order to achieve our goal of mainstreaming RFID.” The RFID Essentials training can be purchased at RFID Revolution’s Web site, as well as through RFID Journal. Individuals can purchase a 60-day subscription, while organizations looking to educate groups of people can purchase a one-year license featuring group rates.