Intro
Direct printing RFID tags In recent years improvements in technology have allowed circuits to
be printed directly to paper, plastic and even corrugated cardboard. In the real world this is limited to printing
circuits and not components, this means that although RFID tag antennas can be printed the actual chip still needs
producing in the traditional way and gluing to the antenna. Despite this limitation it has allowed circuits to be
printed on flexible surfaces and has brought down the production costs substantially.
In the future
Once problems of scale have been tackled printing the logic circuits (currently confined to the chip) should also
be possible, this opens up some very exciting possibilities like making smart clothing, paper screens and more simply
allow RFID tags to be printed directly onto products. As the price of RFID tags continues to drop it will become possible
to incorporate them into almost every manufactured product and its wrapping this would allow great advances in stock
management, security and tracking. This could also have environmental implications in allowing a product to be tracked
from manufacturer to point of sale and picked up again when it enters the refuse disposal system. Imagine that dustbin
lorries with RFID tag readers. This could improve sorting of refuse for recycling.
What is the current situation?
Rolls of adhesive thermal labels with programmable RFID tags incorporated can be used in printers which set the RFID code
at the same time as printing the label. RFID printers encode the chip in the RFID inlay at the same time they print bar
codes and alphanumeric, human-readable characters. Most RFID printers handle 4" wide labels, while some can support labels
up to 6" wide.
Printers start from £600
Labels are bought in rolls of 500 to 1000 labels and costs vary from £0.06/label up to £0.30/label
RFID Scanners/Readers
RFID scanners use a radio signal to trigger the RFID tag to transmit its stored data which is then received by the scanner.
Scanners come in a large range of sizes from tiny smart phone / computer peripherals, hand held devices, directional antenna
installations and the scanners you see in the entrances to some high street shops. Price vary greatly depending on what you
choose from tens of pounds for a peripheral device up to many thousands for large installations.
What are RFID tags?
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology has been around for many years. RFID tags consist of an integrated circuit
(IC) attached to an antenna plus some protective packaging. RFID tags can come in many forms and sizes. Data is stored in the
IC and transmitted through the antenna to a reader. There are two types of RFID tags “passive” (no battery) and “active”
(powered by a battery). Tags also can be read-only, read/write (stored data can be altered or rewritten), or a combination.
To place information in the tag, an RFID encoder must be used.