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Advanced Labeling & Marking 15240 NW 60th Ave., Miami Lakes, FL 33014 (Se Habla Español) Phone: (305) 512-0001 Fax: (305) 512-9099 sales@advancedlabeling.com US Toll Free 1 (800) 432-5130 Services: Installation, Training, Repair  |
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RFID FAQ / Frequently Asked Questions Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Frequently Asked Questions What is RFID?
Frequency refers to the size of the radio waves used to communicate between the RFID system components. It is generally safe to assume that a higher frequency equates to a faster data transfer rate and longer (greater distance) read ranges, but also more sensitivity to environmental factors such as liquid and metal that can interfere with radio waves. RFID systems currently operate in the Low Frequency (LF), High Frequency (HF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) bands. Low Frequency tags operate at or near 125 kHz and have a read range of less than half of a meter. They have a relatively slow data transfer rate and short read ranges of about half a meter, but are generally cheaper and less sensitive to interference than higher frequency options. High Frequency systems operate throughout the world at 13.56 MHz, creating a truly global solution. Read ranges for HF systems are about one meter and they can transmit data faster than LF tags. Ultra High Frequency systems operate in a range between 860 930 MHz depending on geographic location around the world. The North American market operates at or near 915 MHz, much of Western Europe is at the low end of the spectrum, and several Asian companies recently opened the higher end of the spectrum to RFID usage. UHF tags can be read up to three meters away, and generally operate at greater speeds than HF tags. However, UHF waves react severely to metal and liquid substances. What is a tag? An RFID tag consists of an Integrated Circuit (IC) and an antenna. Some tags also incorporate a battery, but batteries are rare in smart label applications. Tags have many variable characteristics including power requirements, memory capacity, and read write capabilities. Application standards such as ISO and EPC (see below for more information on these standards) specs define the characteristics of a tag for an individual application. What is a RFID Ready printer? For those customers who are interested in RFID, but have not yet completed the infrastructure work to implement the whole process, a RFID Ready printer is the best solution. This printer is based on a traditional printers, but with features that will allow for field installable RFID modules in the future. The available RFID modules will include HF and UHF options, as well as other standards that develop into viable smart label applications. What are current RFID standards? There are currently no universal standards for RFID technology. This poses a potential risk for users in that current RFID hardware and software may or may not be compliant with future standards, or a universal standard may fail to emerge. The lack of unified standards also presents an adoption barrier as user communities sit on the sidelines to ensure that their technology investment is global, scalable, etc. There are three main groups forming ISO standards ISO, EAN/UCC, and the Auto ID Center at MIT. EAN/UCC and the Auto ID Center are working together in a joint venture known as EPCGlobal. This venture is charged with the commercialization of the Electronic Product Code and its support network. Datamax expects to become a member of EPCGlobal shortly. What is the Auto ID Center and EPC? The Electronic Product Code is an item level tracking system developed by the MIT Auto ID Center and associated universities around the world. Many leading consumer products companies and technology providers sponsor the Auto ID Center. The Center was founded to identify and develop new methods of advancing data capture technologies to assist sponsoring companies increase their competitive position through sophisticated supply chain management processes. The Electronic Product Code is the result of this development effort. It is part of a system that uses RFID tags, readers, Physical Markup Language (PML), and a database known as Savant for tracking items. The EPC Network could eventually allow manufacturers to uniquely identify every individual item they produce; every can of soup would have a unique identifier, every tire, every pair of pants, etc. It is debatable as to whether this item level identification capability is necessary, but the EPC network expands the current UCC/EAN capabilities for global identification. The EPC will eventually have a set of standards, with an expected release in October that will govern its use worldwide. These standards will define all aspects of the network and will be unique to EPC, managed by EPCGlobal. EPCGlobal is a new entity created from the UCC and EAN to commercialize EPC technology. EPC will be a subscriber based system similar to the current UPC system. The EPC standards are expected to operate in the UHF spectrum. There are current ISO standards for all RFID frequencies, but the EPC standard is not expected to reference ISO. This overlap will probably cause confusion in the user community until the ISO v. EPC achieves resolution. What are the current RFID ISO standards? There are currently several ISO standards governing RFID for various applications. Relative to smart labels, there is the existing ISO 15693 standard that defines 13.56 MHz. There is also the ISO 18000 standard, which offers several sub sections to address various applications. In the UHF arena, the EPC standard for air interface is not compatible with the ISO 18000 UHF standard. The ISO 18000 standard only deals with air interface protocols, whereas the EPC standard also includes data structure. The desire is for these two protocols not to be mutually exclusive. Within ISO, there is a Joint Technical Committee (JTC1) that consists of various groups brought together to define and publish IT standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies. Within the JTC1 subcommittee responsible for RFID (SC31), there is a work group (WG4) that deals with RFID issues. A subgroup of WG4 is responsible for ISO 18000, which is a proposed standard dealing the air intergace for frequencies used around the world. ISO 18000 has seven parts, the ones relevant to smart labels are ISO 18000 3 and ISO 18000 6. ISO 18000 3 is the air interface standard for RFID operating at 13.56 MHz (HF). Publication expected in October 2003, but is not known whether this standard overwrites ISO 15693. ISO 18000 6 is the air interface standard for RFID operating at 860 930MHz (UHF). Publication is expected in mid 2004. There are other standards developed by both ANSI and AIAG that are in the process or already released. The ANSI standards include RFID standards for parcels, packages and flat mail. The AIAG standards include a tire and wheel identification standard. The AIAG standard is not developed for smart label applications, it calls for embedding a tag on the inside of a tire. How does the Datamax solution comply with existing standards? The Datamax I Class with RFID is an ISO 15693 compliant solution. This standard covers RFID for item management and the unique identification of the RF tag. The standard is currently available on tags from Texas Instruments and Philips and the Datamax I Class with RFID works with both of these products. New tags in the market that are ISO 15693 compliant will also be available for use on the Datamax I Class with RFID. What software can be used with the Datamax RFID solution? Datamax has a working partnership with Seagull Scientific to develop drivers, as well as to distribute the seagull BarTender Special Edition for Datamax with our printers. As such, Datamax has worked closely with Seagull to add RFID encoding capabilities to BarTender, which are now available. Other software manufacturers will also be encouraged to develop RFID encoding capabilities in their product. The general consensus from the software community is that they are interested in developing solutions for RFID. There are commands established to send RFID commands to the printer. The Programmer's Manual is in the process of being updated and will be available for pilot projects or tests. Since the Datamax I Class with RFID solution will have limited availability during its launch, it will be necessary for prospective partners to work directly with Datamax to develop their command sequences. How much are smart labels? The price of smart labels depends on a variety of factors, including type of tags, label material, size, and quantity ordered. At quantities of 10,000 labels are priced anywhere from $0.90 to $1.50. At higher quantities, prices can be reduced to around $0.80 per label. A large portion of this cost is due to the price of the tag. As those prices fall and they have been falling steadily smart label prices will also fall. What is the reasonable life span of a smart label? In terms of the labels themselves, life span is based on conditions of the environment and material use. The majority of RFID applications for smart labels will create disposable labels, which is why it's so important that the tag cost drops. Permanent and semi permanent smart labels for asset management applications can be expected to have a longer life span. The chip itself is also vulnerable to environmental conditions such as impact, moisture, etc., but will continue to be read in perpetuity as long as it is in undamaged condition. Does Advanced Labeling provide RFID readers or antennae? ALM has strong working relationships with a variety of companies that provide readers, including HHP and Datalogic. Our relationship with these companies extends beyond traditional bar coding and into total AIDC solutions. As the RFID market continues to develop, ALM will work with leading equipment providers to facilitate smooth equipment procurement where possible. Where are the opportunities for RFID now? While much of the spotlight on RFID is focused on future applications such as the Wal Mart January 2005 deadline, there are current RFID applications that are being developed outside the supply chain realm. These applications are considered "closed loop" applications, where the standards and protocols need to be shared amongst one to only a few trading partners and the technology can be developed in house. These applications can certainly offer some of the extreme benefits of RFID to companies that are willing to invest in the technology. Some examples of current applications include: - Library tracking systems - Patient identification and accounting - Corpse tracking (yes, apparently it's a big issue) - Baggage handling - Costume/apparel rental and return - Movie/DVD rental These applications all have a closed loop in common. The application does not have to be distributed among a multitude of trading partners or through large geographic locations. These limitations allow companies to invest in the technology and receive the benefits while limiting their exposure risk created by the lack of standard. What opportunities are developing for RFID? The future looks bright for RFID based on major companies' interest in the technology and the press coverage it has received. Wal Mart announced in June that they would require their top 100 suppliers to incorporate RFID into pallets by January 2005. The Department of Defense also announced a similar mandate, but expanded their tagging requirement to include all suppliers by 2005. While there is a lot of momentum surrounding RFID technology, involved companies are seeing that the lack of infrastructure and standards, and high tag prices ($1.00 per label as opposed to $0.009 per label is a tough pill to swallow!) are still substantial barriers to the technology's adoption. However, many of these barriers are being addressed through increased interest and standards development efforts. It remains to be seen how the standards game will play out, and whether politics will prevent a global standard from emerging. If all goes to plan, though, RFID could be the next compliance labeling initiative for supply chain management operations. Large, global corporations will be investing in equipment to increase their supply chain visibility and gain a competitive edge.
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