Polymer-based RFID tags unveiled

As part of efforts to make low cost electronic components for RFID tags using high volume printing techniques, PolyIC has introduced the world's first polymer-based eight-bit RFID tag, reports Engineer Live.

According to the report, lower cost printed polymer technology will change the face of RFID by hastening item-level tagging in price sensitive mass markets such as the packaging of consumer goods, brand protection, anti-theft devices, aviation baggage tracking and electronic ticketing.

Extensive research has established that soluble polymers that become fluid in a special dissolvent can be used in a printing process as electronic ink. The process makes it possible to fabricate low cost electronics in a continuous printing process on a flexible polyester foil substrate.

EPCglobal has announced the completion of interoperability testing of Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS), a technical specification that will enable trading partners using the Electronic Product Code to capture and share event information in supply chain processes.

EPCglobal says the new specification represents another step in the worldwide roll-out of EPC technology, which uses RFID to provide a new level of product movement visibility in the global supply chain.

The interoperability testing of the EPCIS v1.0 specification was conducted at the Auto-ID centre at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Twelve organisations participated in the tests, including BEA Systems, IBM, NEC, and Oracle.

RFID sensors have been used to develop a new low cost wireless bushfire mapping system that will enable fire fighters to respond to fires faster than before, according to More RFID.

Telepathx says its system uses active RFID sensors that can detect and notify of excessive heat for up to 12 years in real time without the need of maintenance or management.

Unlike geospatial satellite mapping systems or aerial thermal imaging, the RFID-enabled system can provide near instant alerts and report the location of fires with a high level of accuracy.

Australia is to be the first country to use RFID-enabled crates for delivering supply chain improvements in the automotive industry.

Supplychain Review says the CHEP crates are equipped with three-in-one tags that include bar code, human readable labels and RFID tags capable of storing and adding information to enable real-time tracking.

The inter-stackable crates enable components to be moved to the production line in sequence or in smaller batches to improve availability and reduce storage requirements in assembly plants. The crates are supported by an automotive logistics management system, which automatically calculates production line needs.