RFID label quality Archives

Our past two Voyantic webinars have focused on educating the label-converting industry on RFID – how to get started with RFID labels and what are the key things you should consider to succeed in the RFID business.

The first webinar covered the RFID technology basics for label converters. (If you missed it, you can watch the recording here).

For the second webinar, we invited panelists from different companies in the RFID label ecosystem, including an inlay supplier, a converting machine manufacturer, and a label converter, to give their perspectives on what is essential in RFID label converting. We also had our own expert on the panel to talk about the importance of quality inspection in RFID label production.

Check out the webinar recording or read the highlights from the webinar discussion below.

Watch the webinar recording

The webinar panelists were:

Wayne Oldham, Innovation and Sustainable Technology Director at 4id Solutions.
4id Solutions is a label converter company specializing in RFID.
Axel Hess, Product Manager RFID at BW Papersystems.
BW Papersystems is a converting machine manufacturer and a pioneer in RFID technology.
Amy Lu, Global Sales Manager at Arizon RFID Technology.
Arizon is an RFID inlay and tag manufacturer, providing ODM & OEM services to RFID companies and system integrators.
Gerald Smid, Solution Specialist at Voyantic. At Voyantic, Gerald helps our customers integrate and set up Voyantic’s quality control systems on their RFID production machines.

Understanding the RFID Label Buyer Needs

When it comes to RFID labels, there is often a gap between a customer’s request and what the customer needs – the initial customer request often differs significantly from the final product they end up getting. When customers have a weak understanding of RFID technology some level of education is always required. Education is needed to make sure the label buyers understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology and to ensure they have a clear understanding of their use case requirements in order to find the right label product.

To address this challenge, companies like 4id Solutions employ a range of templates with specific questions that help in identifying the customer’s exact requirements. The questions range from technical aspects such as what frequency they need, features, performance, and data requirements to material selection, use cases, and form factor requirements. Voyantic has also put together an RFID Tag Buyer’s Guide with a checklist for label requirements and considerations.

Download the RFID Tag Buyer’s Guide here ›

For both label converters and end customers, understanding the application is also critical in the RFID inlay selection process. Some products may be challenging from an RF perspective, for example, products containing metals or liquids. These kinds of products require an inlay designed specifically for those purposes. The number of RFID labels that need to be read simultaneously also varies according to the application. In some use cases, like apparel inventory, where multiple labels must be read simultaneously, the choice of inlay becomes crucial to ensure stable and consistent performance. Inlays are always designed, and often certified, for specific applications and materials. New customers require guidance to select the right inlay for their application.

Label type and functionalities are selected based on the application and the product type.

From an RFID converting machine manufacturer’s point of view, the customers’ challenges include narrowing down the focus of their RFID project. Customers must not only consider the shape and size of the RFID label but also the choice of materials, inlays (dry or wet), and chip direction. These choices significantly affect the configuration of the converting machine. The clearer the output specifications are the better the machine can be configured for a specific product.

Whether we are talking about machines, inlays, or ready labels, standardization, and shared practices within the industry could further help the industry with interoperability and drive the adoption of the technology.

Best practices:

Ask a lot of questions from your customers to nail down requirements
- Frequency?
- Use cases and applications?
- Required read range, reader types?
- Product types, materials?
- Label physical requirements?
- Tagging specifications?

The required read range and the reader type are factors in inlay selection.

RFID Label Converting Practicalities

The biggest difference between RFID label converting and traditional label converting is that RFID labels contain electronic components that can be easily damaged in the converting process. The most effective way to avoid any issues is to understand your converting equipment, have a strong relationship with your suppliers, and ask as many questions as you can possibly think of. No question is considered too trivial in the RFID field, as asking the right questions can potentially save thousands of dollars that would be lost in a failed production run.

For a label converter, it is also important to have a good relationship with your inlay supplier to make sure you have all the latest information and understanding of the inlay materials and the impact they will have on how the materials run through your converting press. It is always better to do test runs with new materials and construction to see the impact on the converting process.

Protecting the IC within the RFID label is imperative to prevent mechanical damage. Traditional label manufacturers may focus on production speed and appearance, while RFID label converters need to prioritize IC protection. To protect against damaging the IC, there are special rollers available with IC protection (avoidance slot) or you can use special rollers with very soft materials to protect the IC from pressure.

*Maker sure the machine rollers are suitable for RFID labels*.

Another important aspect to consider is ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection. ESD control systems are vital, especially when exposed antennas are involved, ESD can potentially damage the tag IC.

Best practices:

Ask a lot of questions from your machine and inlay vendors
Know your machine!
Do test runs
Consider IC protection in every production step
Consider ESD protection

The Importance of Quality Inspection

“It’s very hard to damage a piece of paper, it’s very easy to damage an [RFID] inlay when you are running it through a converting press. And it’s very easy to damage a lot of inlays very quickly when you don’t have the right processes in place.” – Wayne Oldham, 4id Solutions

For a label converter who cares about the quality of the delivered products, a proper RFID quality control system is essential. Without RFID inspection, there is no way to guarantee the quality of the labels that have been sent to the customer as RF performance cannot be visually verified. A damaged RFID label may look exactly the same as a working one. RFID label performance can only be verified with RF measurements.

A professional RFID quality testing system provides a comprehensive assessment of the tag’s performance on multiple frequencies. Using a simple reader to test that the tag responds, does not give a full picture of the performance nor assurance that the tag will also work in the end user application, from the required distance and attached to the product. A testing system is also a valuable tool for the machine operator, giving visibility into the production process to ensure everything runs smoothly.

A quality control system gives a full picture of the RFID labels’ performance and detects labels that are outside of specifications.

Each label must be tested individually, at high production speeds, and faulty tags can be marked, removed, or killed using chip killers or chip crunchers, depending on customer preferences. What is done to the faulty tags post-production is another important consideration for the label converter. The types of machines and processes handling bad labels also depend on the label types, for example, whether you are producing single tickets vs continuous label rolls. Some customers choose to save costs and remove the faulty, marked labels themselves in the label application process.

Best Practices:

Test every label in the production line with a proper RF inspection system
Choose your strategy for bad label handling

Learn more about best practices for quality testing in RFID label production ›

Long-Term Considerations for RFID Label Converters

The RFID market is growing, and long-term considerations are integral when purchasing RFID converting machines. Companies must consider their target markets, future requirements, and budget when making decisions on investments. The choice of machine impacts the types and volumes of labels that can be produced.

Although retail is still driving the market, several applications, such as consumer packaged goods (CPG), healthcare, and logistics, hold promise in the RFID industry. To stay informed about market trends, consult reports from the RAIN Alliance website. The RAIN Alliance also serves as a valuable resource for networking with industry experts and peers.

How to Get Started with RFID?

For those new to RFID converting, education, building in-house expertise, and early engagement with suppliers are crucial. Take the time to understand the technology, machines, and various aspects involved. Navigating the world of RFID label converting is a process that demands a deep understanding of customer needs, best practices, long-term considerations, and the broader RFID ecosystem. You also need to be agile — the RFID industry develops quickly, and new tag ICs with new features and functionalities are constantly introduced. However, the RFID industry also offers numerous opportunities for new converters as well as customers.

Let us know how we can help you!

Contact Voyantic

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Summary

Bad RFID tag production quality = unacceptable variance in tags’ sensitivity = inconsistent performance / read ranges = unreliable RFID system performance = unhappy customers = bad for business
Quality can only be checked with professional RFID testing and quality control systems
Voyantic can help you improve design and manufacturing quality

Voyantic has published a lot of content about RFID technology, the market, and quality testing practicalities. But I wanted to understand what quality really means in RFID. And why should label converters and tag manufacturers care? Read on to find out what I learned.

Framework of RFID Tag Quality

The quality of RFID tags and labels boils down to RF performance – how consistent is the performance compared to the RFID tag specifications? RF quality cannot be seen with the human eye. Nor can the RF performance of a smart label or inlay be checked with any camera, x-ray, or machine vision. The quality can only be checked with RF (radio frequency) measurement system.

(Note: The other aspect of RFID tag quality, that will not be covered in this post, is tag data content. Learn more about tag data and encoding here: https://landing.voyantic.com/webinar-rain-rfid-encoding-for-barcode-professionals)

With that in mind, the following framework describes the levels of defining smart label RF quality, from design quality to documented production quality control:

Design Quality means fit-for-purpose
RFID tags are designed for different use cases and applications. Good quality design means that the tag has the required performance and durability for the intended use case, taking form factor and unit cost into consideration as well. In practice, performance translates into readability and read range of the tag in the environment it was designed for: from how far the tag can be read, and from which angles, what type of items is it a good fit for?
Tags can be functional but not-fit-for-purpose
Taking a simple approach, the functionality of the tag can be checked with any reader – if the tag ID can be read, it is a functional tag. Sadly, this approach does not reveal aspects of quality, or if the tag meets the requirements or not.

Consider an analogy to a tag functionality test from the automotive sector: at the end of a car factory line, someone only looks at and listens to the cars: “I see a car and hear the engine – Quality check ok!”
RFID tester verifies that tags meet the specifications
A proper quality test measures the RF performance of the tag, preferably on the production line. Voyantic’s Tagsurance 3 RFID production quality control system checks the tags’ performance against pre-set criteria. The system gives a pass/fail result based on the requirements for each RFID tag passing through the system.
Knowing the production variance is the key to improving your process
Quality testing also reveals the variance in the tested tags’ performance. The variation in the tags’ sensitivity in practice means the differences in the tags’ read range. Tag sensitivity is the measure of how much power is needed to wake up a tag. Variance is inherent to mass production – manufactured tags are never perfectly identical. Quality requirements set the acceptable variance limits for the tags’ sensitivity, ensuring they meet requirements for consistent performance, i.e., consistent readability of the tags.

Knowing the variance is essential for internal development: for discovering good practices, and making comparisons – comparing machines, production teams, materials, settings, and so on.
Customers expect proof of quality
The highest level is to be able to prove the quality in detail. A professional quality control solution automatically records a log of all tests with the tag’s unique codes along the log data. This record can be used to prove the quality of the production batch and to prove the quality of each individual tag.

Testing in RFID inlay and label production is required to verify the produced tags meet the designed sensitivity.

Why Quality Matters…

…for the RFID system end-users?

Variation in sensitivity causes the readability of the tags to vary. Differences in tags’ read ranges lead to missed readings, and ultimately, decreased reliability of the whole RFID system. High variation in tag sensitivity also indicates variation in durability – some tags may last longer than others. End users will not be happy to see the reliability of the RFID system decrease.

Customers expect consistency and for each tag to perform according to its datasheet information. As customers’ knowledge and experience of RFID technology increases, they also expect a documented quality program and, in some cases, require documented proof of quality from the tag supplier, and even compliance with a quality standard.

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…for manufacturing?

Quality management is the bedrock of RFID inlay and label manufacturing. A complete RFID quality control system gives visibility into the production process to catch production line issues early on before more tags start to fail, thus reducing waste and improving yield.

The statistical quality data also enables comparing machines, production lines, and shifts. Good practices can be adopted, and poor performance can be addressed, improving the overall efficiency of production.

… for management?

A company’s top management typically focuses on the long-term growth and profitability of the company. High-quality products contribute to customer satisfaction, thus helping to drive more recurring sales revenue. Higher production yields, reduced waste, and increased production efficiency also contribute to better margins.

The measured quality data is the basis for continuous operational improvements and long-term profitability. In practice, data enables optimizing investments: Which machines and materials work the best, and where there is room for improvement?

The Cost of Bad Quality

As the industrial scale of a company increases, the importance of good quality and reliability gets to a whole new level. Two very typical use cases for RFID are inventory tracking and supply chain management. Big brands and retailers may have hundreds of millions of items tracked and traced with RAIN RFID throughout their supply chain and retailer networks. If you consider, for example, that 1 percent of the RFID tags used to track items do not work well, that doesn’t initially sound too bad. But when you are tracking hundreds of millions of items, 1 percent translates into millions of products being lost from inventory tracking and considered stolen, wasted, or otherwise unaccounted for.

Read more about the cost of bad quality: https://voyantic.com/blog/posts/analysis-of-the-cost-of-rfid-quality-and-how-not-to-lose-a-customer/

The Experts in RFID Testing and Quality Control

Voyantic’s core business is to measure the performance of RFID tags and inlays – to help our customers make sure every delivered tag works right, and enable engineers to make better products. Our vision is that every RFID tag and label have been tested and verified in the production process with our quality control system

Get in touch to see if we can help you with your RFID projects!

Learn more:

Best practices for RFID quality testing: https://voyantic.com/blog/posts/best-practices-for-rain-rfid-label-quality-testing/