Engineered Materials Group
Embedded RFID for Product Identification, Tracking and Anticounterfeiting
Understanding the Technology of RFID
Article Series, Part 1 of 3
In this three-part article series based on material from our webinar, Embedded RFID for Product Identification, Tracking and Anticounterfeiting, we discuss RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and the feature rich benefits it provides medical device and industrial equipment manufacturers.
- Part one covers the basics of RFID technology
- Part two focuses unique advantages of built-in RFID technology
- Part three focuses specifically on RFID for life sciences applications and medical devices
Part 1: Understanding the Technology of RFID
At Parker Hannifin, one of our design and manufacturing capabilities for healthcare and industrial products is the ability to incorporate RFID (radio frequency identification) tags. What exactly does that enable for customers? Let’s step back and learn more about these devices.
These devices were first commonly seen on music CDs or entertainment DVDs purchased in retail stores. That's where RFID tags started and still remain ― as an anti-theft device because of its cost effectiveness. Their use grew as industries incorporated wireless technology for data transfer and recognized additional benefits to these unique identifiers, and the ability to store information on the tags. So, they now can be used for both locating and storing information. Many global industry groups use RFID tags as last mile logistic devices.
Types of Tags
When looking at RFID, there are various kinds of tags. These are identified by the frequency at which the tags work. The three most common tags are low frequency, high frequency and ultra-high frequency. These are indicated by the acronym LF, HF or UHF. Also, RF is sometimes known as NFC (near field communication). NFC is seen on phones and similar “smart” devices associated with point of sale contactless payments on a daily basis.
Low frequency tags are often used in biological applications. The tags used to identify dogs and farm animals (commonly referred to as “chips”) are usually low frequency.
Most of what is found in the industrial world is UHF. This is because they are the most cost-effective with the high-volume use in the retail and industrial areas
For the tags themselves, the form factors change, depending on whether they are encapsulated, wet or dry inlays, and if they are low frequency or high frequency that requires a coil. In terms of an antenna with ultra-high frequency, it typically uses a more dipole-form antenna that is more form fitting.
Passive vs. Active Tags
The tags can be either active or passive. There are some derivatives of this, such as the battery-assisted passive tag, which uses the battery to help in the transmission of the information from the tag to the reader. Generally, in all of these, the power comes from the radio frequency unless they are specifically active tags which have a battery on them at all times. This is one of the big advantages of RFID―a battery usually isn’t necessary for passive tags, which allows them to go through the industrial processes of heat temperature ruggedness that would not be possible with other technologies such as, Bluetooth, WIFI or GPS.
Then there is also specific information on how the information on the tag is actually protected, for example, standard vs. gamma resistant. In the medical world, gamma sterilization is common. Essentially, it’s the same as how you would protect flash memory from being erased. As it's exposed to gamma radiation, there’s a specific type of lead protected tag vs. the standard flash memory.
Embedding the RFID
When it comes to embedding RFIDs, the RFID tags actually become part of the component themselves. This isn't a secondary operation where we ultimately place a tag and refill material that's either glued or epoxied in place. The tags are actually added during the manufacturing process, which helps keep the form factor of the tag itself, as well as ensures that the only way to remove the tag is by destroying the part.
At Parker we have historically placed these tags in molded shapes whether it is as simple as O-rings or more complex molded geometries such as syringe tips. Additionally, we have also placed these in plastic medical device components. Not only that, Parker’s methods also are proven and patented for embedding RFID tags into molded components during their fabrication.
Advantages of RFIDs
Several advantages of RFID over a traditional barcode are apparent.
- An RFID does not need a line-of-sight in order to scan the information on the tag. A one- or two-dimensional reader that must have true visual sight to the tag is not necessary.
- There is the potential for reading hundreds or thousands of tags a second.
- There's no orientation that must be followed.
- The reading distance can be tuned, depending on how much power is in the antenna.
- Information can be written to the tags with their memory on board, a task that you normally wouldn't be able to do with a barcode that relies entirely on a database for its information.
Other advantages of RFID include:
- Molded-in RFID tags have no labels, adhesives or plugs to fail.
- It provides completely tamper-resistant identification.
- It is extremely counterfeit resistant.
- It is covert in opaque materials.
- Does not produce contaminant-harboring seams or manufacturing marks.
- The equipment can automatically recognize components with embedded tags.
- Provides on-board tracking of device life cycles.
- Available for embedding into your Class I, II or III medical devices.
A few key takeaways for embedded RFID include that RFID may offer distinct advantages over non- embedded options, especially in sensitive or harsh operating conditions. Secondly, embedded RFID can be incorporated in many different rubber and thermoplastic materials to meet your application's needs and form factor. And finally, RFID has many uses. Those include product identification, location tracking, anti-counterfeiting, and many others.
Article continues in Part 2. Click here to read Part 2.
For additional details on Parker’s RFID capabilities, please contact Parker’s Composite Sealing Systems Division, part of the Parker Engineered Materials Group.
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