Oriented towards RFID printing innovation, we have been interested in the study of new applications helped by evolutionary tracking and tracing techniques. We design smart labels which can perform complex functions. as a manufacturer of RFID printing, we have the ability to introduce the knowledge of RFID.
RFID printing is a technology, first of all, i will introduce what is RFID?
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. This term indicates those technologies that allow objects and people to be recognized at a distance using radio waves.
A radio frequency identification system consists of two main components: a transponder or tag and a reader. The tag is the label that is affixed to the object. This contains all the information relating to it and which identifies it uniquely. The data, stored in a microchip, can be read by an antenna that receives and transmits radio signals to and from the RFID reader. The microchip and the antenna together form the RFID tags and are placed on a medium.
RFID systems use different frequencies, which can be classified as:
– low frequencies (LF, between 125 and 134 kHz)
– high frequencies (HF, about 15 MHz)
– ultra high frequencies (UHF, 860 – 960 MHz)
– microwaves (greater than 2.45 GHz)
The various frequency bands have different characteristics and are suitable for different applications. In general, as the frequency increases, so do the reading distance and the amount of information that can be transferred in the period of time, while the resistance to operating conditions and costs decrease. The low-frequency tags use very little power and are able to cross non-metallic materials and liquids, but the signal for reading does not exceed 30-40 cm.
The high-frequency tags work better with metal objects and are able to cover a distance of about one metre. The ultra high frequencies provide wider reading ranges and the ability to transfer data faster, but do not cross the materials easily. Solutions with 2.45 GHz tags are used for electronic toll collection, freight and the like.
Know what is RFID and get RFID printing is not a simple technology, then i will explain how are the tags powered?
RFID tags come in three types: passive, semi-active or active.
Passive tags have no internal power source and take the power required to activate the circuits from radio waves sent by the reader, which interrogates them and induces a current in the antenna. According to ISO rules, LF and HF tags can only be passive, while tags at UHF and microwave frequencies can also be semi-active or active.
A semi-active tag has a power source. This does not power the radio circuits, but additional functions such as temperature or motion sensors.
Can the information on the tags be overwritten or deleted?
There are read only, write once & read many or WORM and read & write types of label. In the first two types, the RFID tag represents a technological evolution of the bar code, as the information stored on the microchip cannot be modified once it has been written. Read & Write mode, however, is the most flexible. The tag can be used as a dynamic memory, because information on the chip can be updated at any time, for example along the steps of the production chain. These are generally slightly more expensive than read only tags.
Compared with bar codes and other identification technologies, radio frequency technology offers many benefits: reading does not require direct contact and optical sight, so there is no need to direct it towards the scanner. The tags can be read simultaneously, can work in dirty, contaminated environments and can withstand very difficult conditions (environmental agents, thermal, chemical, mechanical stress). They can also operate immersed in a fluid, inside the object to be identified or inside a container. RFID tags are more expensive than bar codes, but the cost-effectiveness is generally beneficial. It would, though, be wrong to think that RFID technology will take over from bar codes. Much more likely, the two will coexist.
