RFID News Roundup: Itec, Nordic Semiconductor, Sinclair Technologies

Published: November 30, 2023

Itec is offering a high speed RFID inlay die bonder, Nordic Semiconductor releases Wi-Fi 6 product, and Sinclair Technologies announces new IoT antenna

Itec Offers High Speed RFID Inlay Die Bonder

Semiconductor finishing equipment company Itec released a new die bonder for RFID inlays that it says is the fastest and most accurate product to date. The bonder features a placement speed of up to 48,000 units per hour (UPH) and positional and rotational accuracies higher than nine microns. The company says that it is three times faster and 30 percent more accurate than other die bonding equipment.

The ADAT3 XF Tagliner is intended to make RFID tag production faster and more accurate, according to Itec. The machine comes with a high precision, glue curing system, with two thermodes. That means it comes with fewer moving parts. With a curing time of 65 microseconds, company officials say it is two times faster than other RFID die bonders that increases operating efficiency.

The machine can accommodate both transparent and opaque web materials that integrate BW Papersystems winders and Voyantic readers to accommodate more sustainable substrate material, like paper. This is needed as paper tags are becoming a more commonly used product to increase sustainability.

Nordic Semiconductor Releases Wi-Fi 6 Product

Technology company Nordic Semiconductor has entered the Wi-Fi wireless IoT market with the introduction of the nRF7002 chip, an ultra-low power, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 companion IC.

Nordic Semiconductor now boasts of being one of the few companies to offer all three prominent wireless IoT technologies: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, and cellular IoT.

Company officials call the nRF7002 a companion IC, for its role providing seamless Wi-Fi connectivity and Wi-Fi-based location identification when used alongside Nordic’s existing products. These products include the nRF52 and nRF53 Series multiprotocol Systems-on-Chip (SoCs), and nRF91 Series cellular IoT Systems-in-Package (SiPs). However, the nRF7002 can be used in conjunction with non-Nordic host devices.

With the nRF7002, Nordic Semiconductor brings decades of ultra-low-power wireless IoT and silicon design expertise to Wi-Fi 6, the company says.

Both Wi-Fi and BLE Thread can enable smart home solutions, open-source standard, Matter. In most applications, BLE is used for commissioning, Thread for low power mesh networking, and Wi-Fi for high-speed wireless applications.

The nRF7002 is supplied in a 6- by 6-millimeter QFN (Quad-Flat No-Lead) package and is sampling now. Nordic will display the new product as part of its upcoming Nordic Tech Tour,  spanning 48 cities in North America and EMEA.

Sinclair Technologies Announces New IoT Antenna

Sinclair Technologies released a new DAS antenna series intended for indoor, Internet of Things (IoT) devices operating across a broad frequency spectrum from 617 to 8500 MHz. The S1500 DAS Antenna series supports 5G networks for in-building communication needs. It also can accommodate Wi-Fi 6E and UWB.

The antenna company’s latest product offers a continuous and seamless indoor connectivity experience. It’s designed to be compact and low profile, to be built into products that require architectural aesthetics.

The new antenna is provided with public safety-grade design, compliant with NFPA safety codes, and with a dual port for backbone connectivity. The S1500 DAS Antenna will be available for order in December, and shipping in Q1 of 2024.