High reliability RFID tag targets harsh industrial use

By Control Engineering Staff August 21, 2006

Sokymat’s new RFID tag is designed for harsh industrial and outdoor environments.

Granges, Switzerland — Sokymat SA announces the launch of a new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag designed for harsh industrial and outdoor environments. The In Tag complements Sokymat’s current product portfolio of high reliability and high performance tags for industrial and logistics applications.

Available in low and high frequencies, the tag is said to be ideal for items that need to be securely identified and that are regularly subjected to high thermal and/or mechanical stress conditions. Examples include items that undergo hot water cleaning processes or are used in other high temperature environments found in some heavy industries, and in the international food industry. The tags comply with the stipulations of the new EU directive 02/72/EC so that they can be used in direct contact with food and drinks.

‘The success of an RFID project is proven not when a pilot runs well for a few months, but when 100% of a large number of tags still work reliably and consistently for many years after their deployment,” says Philippe Held, manager for the industry and logistics business unit at Sokymat. “Customers are reporting attractive savings from these advanced automation and logistics solutions in sectors such as food processing, the automotive industry, and container tracking.”

The electronic component of the In Tag is designed to have an optimal reading performance/diameter ratio. With a 50 mm In Tag, a reading distance of up to 1m is achievable. They come in 20 mm, 30 mm, and 50 mm diameter discs, with 125 kHz or 134.2 kHz, ISO 11784/85, or ISO 18000-2 low frequency read-only transponders, 256 bit or 2 kbit read/write transponders, or 13.56 MHz high frequency ISO 15693 / 18000-3 transponders. They have excellent thermal stability and can withstand peak temperatures of up to 140 °C for many hours, company says, with resistant to most standard industrial chemicals. Sokymat says it’s the world’s leading supplier of RFID transponders.

—Edited by Mark T. Hoske , Control Engineering editor in chief