Siemens offers the Simatic RF600 system—radio frequency identification components, readers, antennas, tags, printer, and software—with up to 5 m read/write range. UHF band technology complies with ISO 18000-6, as well as EPCglobal Generation 1 standards, and it is “Gen 2 ready.” Siemens, which claims more than 20 years RFID experience, said in a statement that RFID has become “the key technology for significantly adding value across the entire supply chain,” delivery, production, and distribution.
Siemens mentioned the RF600 technology in Control Engineering’s August 2005 cover story, “ RFID on the Production Line .”
Simatic RF 600 RFID system uses the UHF band (902-928 MHz USA; 865-868 MHz Europe) and communicates via Ethernet, RS-422, and RS-232. Simatic FR660R Portal Reader is a stationary-mounted read-write device, with LEDs for power, fault indication, and tag-detected. Simatic 660A antenna is optimized for USA or Europe, has up to 20 m of cable, and is protected to IP65. Related PC-based software (Microsoft Windows XP with .Net Framework 1.1) will help with configuration, diagnostics, and interfacing to IT systems, the company said; tag storage capacity goes up to 2,048 bits, depending on the application, significantly greater than barcode labels.
Siemens Automation & Drives discussed RF600 in detail in an Aug. 30 Webcast. Information about the products, training, and archived Webcast are at the RFID area of the company Web site .
Application information from Siemens includes “The First RFID System with UHF Technology successfully in Operation,” which describes Simatic RF 600 RFID systems installed at Cinram, a vendor of pre-recorded CDs and DVDs, to optimize supply logistics through two loading doors at the incoming goods warehouse, in Alsdorf, near Aachen, Germany. Read more from Siemens .
Other Siemens RFID technologies for manufacturing (and logistics) are described here .
Company representatives expect to show the technologies at the EPCglobal U.S. Conference in Atlanta, GA, Sept. 13-15, 2005.
—Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering, [email protected]
