UV helps reduce cost of RFID tags
RFID
tags are poised to become the most far-reaching wireless technology since
the mobile phone, according to high-tech market research firm, In-Stat.
The US Department of Defense has used RFID for the past fifteen years
to identify and track shipments to more than 1,000 military sites around
the world. More recently US retailer WalMart announced a requirement for suppliers
to use RFID on pallets. Use of RFID tags is expected to grow, with worldwide
revenues jumping from around $300 million in 2004 to an anticipated $2.8
billion in 20091.
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is similar to barcode technology, except instead of optically scanning the code, radio waves from a reader capture information from the RFID tag or label. A major advantage of RFID is the ability to read the tags without visual or physical contact. The tag consists of a microchip in which data is stored and an antenna which are activated when they are within the interrogation zone of the reader. Due to the nature of the tags, it is not possible to use conventional printing presses to print them and they are still relatively expensive to produce. However, suppliers are trying to reduce assembly costs which have been the major barrier to reaching the mythical 5 cent mark - or even less.
The traditional assembly process involved a "pick-and-place" process where a robotic arm took dye from one wafer at a time and placed and held the dye on one antenna/substrate until the adhesive cured, a procedure that took up to 13 seconds. This process could only produce between 5,000 and 8,000 tags per hour. This meant that the assembly part of the process alone cost between 10 to 15 cents per tag, nowhere near the 1-cent cost needed to be within the parameters that could make item-level tracking a reality. Supplier Symbol Technologies has developed a new process where sheets of wafers attached to a special plate are loaded into a machine and a new quick-curing adhesive is applied. A UV curing system supplied by Fusion UV Systems cures the adhesive in one-tenth of a second, following which the dye can be applied. 1.2 million tags can be produced by this method in one hour, bringing the assembly cost down to less than 1 cent per tag.
1. In-Stat: "RFID Tags And Chips: Changing The World For Less Than The Price Of A Cup Of Coffee"