The following are news announcements made during the past week.
HID Global Extends Its SlimFlex RFID EPC Tag Portfolio, With Pliable Square Tag
HID Global has announced the availability of its new SlimFlex Square Tag, a durable ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tag designed to provide multiple mounting options for optimal read range in industrial applications. The pliable tag is manufactured with an Alien Technology Higgs-3 chip, compliant with the UHF EPC Gen 2 and ISO 18000-6 standards. The new tag’s square configuration provides read ranges of up to 26 feet (7.9 meters) in dry conditions when mounted to any non-metal surface, and in wet conditions when mounted vertically to a flat surface or extended from a corner. The SlimFlex Square Tag is the latest addition to the company’s recently introduced SlimFlex family of RFID transponders (see RFID News Roundup: HID Global Adds Flexible Broadband UHF Tag to Portfolio). All SlimFlex RFID tags are waterproof, provide high resistance to aggressive liquids and deliver reliable performance and reading stability across fluctuating temperatures, according to HID Global. Custom color options are available, and tags may be embossed or laser-engraved with a logo or a message for branding or enhanced visual identification. The SlimFlex Square Tag, like the entire SlimFlex family of UHF tags, can be mounted to uneven surfaces and provide long read ranges for asset-tracking, logistics, returnable transport item and waste-management applications. The SlimFlex Square Tags are available now.
Delo Intros New Die-Attach Adhesive Aimed at RFID Industry
Delo Industrial Adhesives, a specialist supplier of fast-curing encapsulants and adhesives, has announced a new die-attach adhesive. The new Delomonopox AC268 epoxy resin is an anisotropic electrically conductive adhesive designed to enable extremely fast production processes, the company reports, and is suitable for tasks in the RFID industry. According to Delo, its adhesives can be found in one out of three RFID labels currently in use worldwide. The AC268 resin is employed in chip-attach processes, particularly in flip-chip applications. It has a short curing time of six seconds at 190 degrees Celsius (374 degrees Fahrenheit) with a thermode, making fast production processes possible. Up to 20,000 microchips can be bonded per hour on a flip-chip production system, the company indicates, and the adhesive adheres well to a variety of flexible and rigid materials, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyimide, FR4, copper, aluminum and silver. The Delomonopox AC268 epoxy resin was subjected to thoroughly testing at Delo’s engineering labs, the company reports, including temperature shock tests, bending tests and storage within a climatic chamber. The adhesive has an improved resistance to humidity, says Jens Amarell, Delo Industrial Adhesives’ RFID product manager, making it a suitable solution for applications in which reliability is important—for example, those involving railway tickets, passports or protecting high-quality products against counterfeiting.
Pacific Medical Centers Expands Versus Advantages RTLS to Totem Lake Clinic
Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed) has expanded its implementation of Versus Technology‘s Versus Advantages real-time location system (RTLS), which it has installed at PacMed’s newly remodeled clinic at Totem Lake, in Kirkland, Wash. Since the RTLS was implemented eight weeks ago, the solution has allowed the clinic to treat patients more quickly. “We spend slightly more time on the front-end registering patients, but we’ve reduced the time it takes to find patients, and we no longer require medical assistants to escort patients from the waiting room to their exam rooms,” said Jane Reubish, the PacMed Totem Lake clinic’s supervisor, in a prepared statement. “We’re collecting data, and we can see where everyone is, even if they’re behind closed doors.” With the Versus system in place, the same number of patients can be accommodated within a significantly smaller space, the company says. Pacific Medical has been utilizing the RTLS solution at its Canyon Park clinic, located in Bothell, Wash., and has doubled its number of monthly patient visits—from 3,000 to 6,000—and achieved an average patient visit time of approximately 46 minutes (see Washington State Clinic Doubles Visits With RTLS). The RTLS solution has enabled the clinic to reduce average wait times, and to improve patients’ satisfaction by ensuring that they spend less idle time alone, and more time meeting with caregivers. The system employs battery-powered badges and asset tags using both RFID and infrared technologies. Every three seconds, the tag simultaneously transmits a 433 MHz RF signal, using a proprietary air-interface protocol, and an infrared signal, both encoded with the same unique ID number. IR sensors are employed to receive the tags’ IR signals and enable the system to pinpoint a particular badge’s location within a room, or within a few feet. RFID readers are also used as a redundancy to the IR system. The Totem Lake clinic offers primary care services to approximately 110 patients daily within its 17 primary examination rooms and three eye exam rooms. All staff members, including those in the registration/business offices and pharmacy, wear Versus badges. Upon registering, each patient is assigned a Versus badge, to be worn on the wrist. Some equipment is also tagged, making it easy for workers to quickly locate assets. The system alerts employees when a patient is ready to be seen, and tracks how long it takes to complete each stage of the treatment process. Some key patient milestone indicators that the Totem Lake staff can see in real time include each patient’s overall length of stay, as well as waits time from the start of each new care interval.
Monitex Brings RF Code’s Active RFID Technology to Australia
Monitex Australia Pty Ltd., a Sydney-based provider of a real-time monitoring and reporting platform for data centers, has integrated RF Code’s wireless environmental-monitoring sensors and readers into its offerings. RF Code’s sensors and readers, which leverage 433 MHz active RFID technology, include sensors that can monitor and manage risk from environmental events (see RF Code Announces Platform for Tracking IT Assets and RFID News Roundup: RF Code Intros Temperature-Humidity Sensor With Extended Battery Life). For example, its environmental-monitoring solution automates the capturing of sensor data, including temperature, humidity, fluid detection, power usage and air pressure—all of which can impact data centers. The data captured via RF Code’s sensors and readers complements Monitex’s new “single pane of glass” dashboard and reporting solution that offers data-center managers a single view into their operations.
SES RFID Expands into NFC Market
SES RFID Solutions GmbH, a manufacturer of standard and customer-specific RFID and Near Field Communication (NFC) transponders, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, has announced that it is expanding into the NFC market. Using its patented flat-inlay technology with high-quality copper-wound antennas, SES RFID Solutions produces robust and flexible tags, cards and sheets available in thicknesses of less than 0.3 millimeter (0.12 inch), the company reports. New to its lineup are mobile-phone stickers with a pre-punch card option for smartphones and inkjet-printable labels. The mobile-phone stickers are specifically designed to allow consumers to access NFC services. The self-adhesive stickers measure less than 0.6 millimeter (0.24 inch) in thickness. According to the company, the stickers are available in three standard formats—48 millimeters by 25 millimeters (1.9 inches by 1 inch), 44 millimeters by 22 millimeters (1.7 inch by 0.9 inch), and 28 millimeters by 19 millimeters (1.1 inches by 0.5 inch)—and can be delivered with chips compliant with the NFC and ISO 14443 standards. The integrated ferrite shield layer ensures communication between the sticker and an NFC reader system, even when placed on metallic surfaces or directly onto a mobile-phone battery, SES RFID Solutions reports, and optional services include custom sizes, full-color printing and chip programming or personalization. The firm also offers its Pre-punch NFC Card Series for customers looking to personalize the mobile sticker by means of a standard ISO card printer. After being programmed and printed, the mobile sticker can be broken off from the ISO card body and attached to the mobile phone. This option allows users to complete low-volume and individual personalization on standard card equipment, the company explains. The NFC-Ink Jet Printable Label Series XX SCIP labels are delivered in a three-by-three layout on an A4-size sheet. The self-adhesive labels can be printed using common office inkjet and laser printers. Options include a three-by-three or six-by-six layout and chip programming.
Trapeze Group Acquires RFind
Trapeze Group, a solutions provider offering software, intelligent transportation systems and mobile technologies for the transportation industry, has announced that it has acquired the assets of RFind Systems, a British Columbia, Canada, supplier of a real-time location system (RTLS) that leverages active RFID technology. The acquisition, according to Trapeze, will help to expand the company’s transit enterprise solution offering with RTLS for vehicles and moveable assets. RFind was founded in 2005, and its RTLS solution is designed for the real-time tracking and location of vehicles, buses and train cars within depots and yards, transit terminals and hubs, as well as in maintenance facilities and along fixed routes (see Trailer Maker Uses RFID to Stay Lean and RFID Provides Utility Company With Real-Time Visibility). The RFind solution utilizes received signal strength indicator (RSSI) technology and advanced algorithms to locate an asset within an inch, and can be configured to operate at different frequencies (868 MHz in Europe and 915 MHz in North America). The solution enables passenger transport organizations to track fleets in real time—even in typical blind spots, such as in terminals, in parking and maintenance yards, and along fixed routes running underground. In addition, the solution enables agencies to automate driver assignments, track pull-outs and monitor schedule adherence, all while using that data to keep the traveling public informed regarding vehicle arrival times via real-time updates.
Datamars Launches UHF RFID System for Textile-Services, Health-Care, Hospitality Markets
Datamars, an RFID solutions provider headquartered in Switzerland, has announced the availability of its complete line of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID solutions compatible with the EPC Gen 2 specification. The solutions, which include tags, readers, antennas and portals, are designed for industrial laundries, hospitals, health-care and long-term-care facilities, hotels, resorts, spas, casinos and party-rental companies. New to Datamars’ LaundryChip line is the Novo, a passive UHF tag that delivers read ranges of up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) without requiring a direct line of sight. The Novo is available in a standard version that can be sewn into a pouch or hem, as well as in a heat-sealable model. According to Datamars, the Novo was designed specifically to meet the rigors of high-volume, high-pressure wash workflows, and is able to withstand the special requirements of flat-linen laundry processes, with its higher levels of water-extraction presses and heat from the latest commercial ironers. Datamars’ LaundryChip family of passive tags includes the Orion and Tara models, which are available in various sizes and frequencies. Datamars’ single channel and multi-port UHF readers are available with antennas, which the company says allows for flexible installations compatible with both corporate IT infrastructures and sheltered outdoor environments. Datamars also offers a USB reader that facilitates the desktop reading and writing of EPC Gen 2 tags. A customizable, modular UHF portal solution is also available.