Talkin’ Things Verifies Tag Designs and Production Quality with Voyantic

Talkin’ Things is an EU-based IoT provider that designs and manufactures RFID and NFC tags and provides end-to-end solutions for smart products. With the in-house tag design and production located in Poland, Talkin’ Things ensures product quality exceeds customer expectations. The current production capacity of one billion units per year makes Talkin’ Things the biggest and fastest-growing RFID provider in the region. Talkin’ Things’ innovative products have gained recognition around the world – with deliveries to over 40 countries on six continents. Talkin’ Things tags are used by many leading RFID adopters.

Voyantic Systems Ensure High-Performance Design and High Production Quality

Talkin’ Things uses multiple Voyantic systems, both for R&D and for production quality control.

The Voyantic Tagformance Pro is an essential system in their R&D Lab and plays a vital role in the tag development process. The Voyantic Tagsurance HF and Voyantic Tagsurance UHF are also used in the lab.

At the production facility, Talkin’ Things uses multiple Voyantic Tagsurance systems for in-line RFID tag quality control at several steps of the process. Using the same family of test equipment also on the production lines provides full comparability of the parameters with the design phase, which is crucial for providing the best performance for the products.

“We have chosen the Voyantic systems for their reliability. The performance data provided by this equipment, the Theoretical Read Range Forward, and the Orientation Sensitivity data, are commonly considered a market standard in the RFID industry and the basic initial parameters to compare RFID inlays. There is also compatibility with ARC and TIPP test procedures, offering a comprehensive hardware and software set to test the certification compliance.” comments Mateusz Chamera, Head of RFID Tag Development at Talkin’ Things.

Innovative Tag Designs

Talkin’ Things has developed proprietary procedures and methods for very swift RFID tag design and rapid RFID tag prototyping. When none of the readily available RFID antenna designs closely meet the client’s requirements for a tag performance on a given product, they can very quickly come up with a new tag design and deliver a small batch of optimized samples to the client for tests in a real-life environment. This would not be possible without Voyantic Tagformance Pro along with a range of supplementary Voyantic devices and reference materials which are the key to verifying if the RAIN RFID tag parameters predicted in the digital simulations are true.

“RAIN RFID tag design optimization is an iterative process but with proper test setup and a reliable measuring device, it can be vastly streamlined. Our record time is just 6 hours from getting the requirement list to working, optimized, and tested samples ready to be sent to the Client,” says Mr. Chamera.

When working on their innovative RFID products, Talkin’ Things relies on Voyantic systems to help ensure that the new designs are reliable and effective. Voyantic solutions enable automation of the testing process to a large extent which is a significant factor in reducing the overall development time. “A recent example is the Stork™ family of omnidirectional tags. With the Voyantic Tag Rotation System and set of reference surface materials we were able to confirm the expected angular sensitivity for those products at many stages of development and finally to present their unique qualities in the promotional material (see example),” Mr. Chamera elaborates.

Ensuring High Production Yield without Compromising Quality

The quality of the products is one of Talkin’ Things’ key values. They guarantee the roll yield to be at least 99%. The Voyantic Tagsurance setups on the bonding and converting lines are the essential tools of the quality assurance process. The Voyantic quality testing systems have also enabled more efficient use of resources:

“The RFID industry is affected by the global semiconductor shortage. The clever use of Voyantic systems in our custom-built quality control equipment opened us an opportunity to make commercial use of the chip resources that otherwise would not be available. Unfortunately, the technical details of this project must remain confidential, but as a result, we were able to bring a high number of full-quality, highly sought-after products to market only due to the possibility of extensive and reliable testing,” explains Piotr Wolf, RFID Production Development Director at Talkin’ Things.

And when we asked how Voyantic customer service is working for Talkin’ Things, this is what they had to say:

“We are very pleased with how well the Voyantic support works. We are always able to get solutions should any issue with the system occur, but also useful tips in the broader scope of RFID technology. This saved us a lot of time in multiple cases. The system documentation is very clear and there is a range of other helpful material available. We also find the virtual training possibility very helpful to get familiar with the system possibilities, and to develop basic system operation skills.” – Mateusz Chamera & Piotr Wolf

Future Plans

Talkin’ Things is constantly growing. Today they already have a one billion units per year production capacity and are planning to increase it to 1.8 billion units per year in 2023. To maintain the high quality of the products Talkin’ Things will be expanding its testing capacity.

“We are currently testing the Voyantic Tagsurance 3 system at our production lines and we already appreciate the possibilities the new version brings,” says Mr. Wolf. “We are also constantly developing new products and we believe that the close cooperation with Voyantic will be beneficial in the R&D field,” Mr. Chamera continues.

Xindeco IOT – RFID Tag Quality Assurance with Tagformance and Tagsurance

中文版 Chinese version

Xindeco IOT Technology Ltd. is a leading RFID tag manufacturer based in Xiamen, China. Founded in 2005, Xindeco IOT has over 15 years of RFID tags design & manufacturing experience. As the pioneer of the Internet of Things industry, the company has nearly 50 RFID inlay production lines. The lines can produce over 2.5 billion pcs RFID inlays & tags annually. Xindeco IoT is the Top 3 RFID tag ODM & OEM supplier in the world.

Xindeco IOT uses Voyantic Tagformance and Tagsurance systems mainly for assuring the quality of the RFID tags. The systems are key components in Xindeco’s 100% quality assurance policy. RFID tags were checked before shipment to the customer. The systems are used for testing both UHF RFID and HF RFID tags in R&D, in production, and in the QC department.

Mr. Li Lin, General Manager of R&D department, explains: The Voyantic Tagformance systems with anechoic chambers are used in the design lab for evaluating the inlay designs. The Tagformance systems are also used in sample testing the tag performance and quality of manufactured tags. With the systems, we can verify all the essential parameters such as tag sensitivity.

The Voyantic systems are precise and easy to use. Their quality is excellent. We have had the Tagformance lite system for a long time already, and there have been no failures, it is still working very well. Mr. Li Lin tells.

Mr. Zhou Senmao, Manager of QC department, continues: The Voyantic Tagsurance systems are used in quality control during production, in-line at the production machines. In the quality testing, the tag performance is checked at a few critical frequencies, this procedure assures that each tag works as specified. The Tagsurance systems are also used in separate off-line QC tests.

Voyantic Tagsurance UHF systems have been used for verifying the consistency of the UHF tag quality. The systems are fast. They are used in manufacturing lines running at high speeds without any misjudgments. And all the data is saved in real-time.

The systems have helped to improve the quality inspection accuracy, and at the same time greatly improved the efficiency of the QC. Now our quality is excellent and also our production yields have increased. Mr. Zhou Senmao describes.

Xindeco IOT teams are continuously developing manufacturing and quality control activities. The latest developments include improvements in HF RFID quality testing, and combining Tagsurance based RF-testing with Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) equipment.

We hope that in the future Voyantic would be even more involved in training us, and together we could find still new ways to improve our manufacturing and quality control. Mr. Li Lin visions the future.

Cooperation between Voyantic and Xindeco IOT will continue strongly.

RFCAMP Ltd

Since its establishment in 2004, RFCAMP Ltd. has been the leading Korean RFID specialty tag provider with a 50% market share in on-metal applications. The company has exported tags branded “Titan” to more than 40 countries.

“Annually, we are engaged in more than 200 RFID projects all over the world, and each project – or each customer – needs tags that are best fit for their environment. We, therefore, strongly feel that the specialty tag business is rather of service, not production” says Jerry Ryu, the Founder and CEO of RFCAMP. “In order to satisfy our clients, we must prove that the tag we suggest truly is best fit for the required environment, and we believe the use of Voyantic’s Tagsurance is the most reliable and persuasive way”.

“When we get a call from a customer concerning tag performance, we set up a similar environment internally, measure the tag sensitivity with the Tagsurance and send our report to our customer. At that time most customers become convinced.” “If the issue is more serious, we pack the Tagsurance and visit the RFID site to measure and test the tags in front of our customers, which has helped RFCAMP become a more reliable supplier”.

“For the tag business, Voyantic’s products are needed for the tag development and production. However, they are needed the most when interfacing with a customer” says Jerry Ryu.

SAG – Ensuring Efficiency in R&D and Quality in Production

During the past two decades, SAG has positioned itself from an RFID transponder manufacturer to the solution provider. “Back in 2017, we became an alliance member at RAIN RFID, which advocates UHF technology. Seeing the growing demand for RFID transponder targeting at the theme of IoT and Industry 4.0, we are proud to bring our know-how and expertise for customization and end-to-end production capability for realization. Our breakthroughs happen in many applications from different sectors. We came up with the hard tag which goes to the dense metal environment for industrial purpose. We introduced a label which ignores water interference for health care consumables. We brought card and wristband that sees no reading distance drop on the human body to realize hands-free applications for gateway passing. And we customized one tag for both metal and non-metal asset management to benefit the logistic world. We are capable of taking out the hiccups people face when they plan to implement RFID but the environmental challenges just don’t agree”, says Mr. Terry Chiang, General Manager.

“We use Tagformance during product development and Tagsurance for quality assurance in mass production because Voyantic is the most trusted and reliable equipment for RAIN RFID product inspection. Tagsurance is used to inspect the electric performance for HF and RAIN RFID product while Tagformance is to check the reading distance of RAIN RFID product.”

“Tagformance assists our antenna design job with great efficiency and this is very important for product development. On the other hand, Tagsurance plays an important role in quality assurance because it detects a tag’s electrical performance by providing multiple frequency points. This is different from the traditional Go/No-Go test which relies on a single frequency value. “, explains Mr. Terry Chiang, General Manager of SAG.

“We are happy with the excellent service such as onsite training and prompt response to our questions when we operate the systems. Voyantic system facilitates our product development and mass production. The obtained data has great value in guiding us to correct and improve a product’s performance so as to satisfy our customers”, continues Mr. Terry Chiang, General Manager of SAG.

SAG Technical Manager Mr. Kevin Kuo is happy about the efficiency improvement that Tagsurance HF has brought into SAG production line. He says:

“Tagsurance HF testing speed is much faster than normal commercial HF reader. The UPH has been increased over 200% after Tagsurance HF replaced the commercial reader in our converting line. Tagsurance HF can sort out those weak performance tags that a normal reader is unable to achieve. More importantly, Tagsurance can also record each tag minimum turn-on power which is very useful information for our engineers to adjust the machine manufacturing parameters and to enhance the tag quality control.”

Omnia Technologies Relies on Voyantic Solutions to Verify Tag Design and Production Quality

Indian RFID tag manufacturer, Omnia Technologies, based in Gurgaon has successfully entered the UHF tag business after adopting Voyantic measurement and testing solutions. Omnia started its RFID business by manufacturing LF and HF tags. In order to meet the customer requirements and to increase product profitability, they decided to add UHF hard tags into their product portfolio in 2014. Currently, Omnia is providing a full range of passive RFID hard tags, and 95% of its products are exported to overseas markets.

According to Rajesh Paul, R&D Manager of Omnia, Voyantic solutions are the key to driving Omnia’s UHF tag business growing.

“After three years of investment and hard work, currently about 50% of our company’s turnover comes from selling UHF hard tags. Our engineers first use the Voyantic Tagformance measurement system to verify the tag design based on the customer’s specifications. After that, we do the tag quality checking with Tagsurance in the production before shipment. Both Tagformance and Tagsurance systems have shortened our new product development time and enhanced our product quality control level tremendously.”, says Rajesh Paul.

Smartres — Production of High Performance RFID with High Efficiency

Smartres is a well-known Italian RFID tag R&D center and manufacturer. The company has developed its own patented solution to create inlay-less products using technology with chip-on-strap coupled with copper wire antenna. The process provides eco-friendlier products compared to traditional processes, with best in class RF performance. After ten years of experience in manufacturing, utilizing their own designed machinery, Smartres decided to take a step forward. A4IS was commissioned to build a new manufacturing line based on the Smartres process, design, and previously built know-how.

Automation 4 Industrial Solutions (A4IS) is a new company dedicated to the creation of automatic manufacturing lines for various industries and specifically for the RFID world. Smartres have now started to use this new machine called FTL6000 in their own production, where they are producing both HF/NFC and UHF tags.

RFID Tag Variety and Selection

Amongst the various types of tags offered to the market, UHF RFID tags are widely used in various market segments and applications such as Fashion, Logistics, Waste Management, Tires Tracking, and many more. Various antenna form factors and technics, as well as several chips, are used to tailor the best suitable solution for each application.

“For designing the antennas for our tags, the Voyantic Tagformance has been a priceless tool, which has saved us time and given our engineers the chance to get things done efficiently and with high confidence.” says Luigi Radaelli, CEO at Smartres.

“Easy to use and effective in validating the selected antenna profile to get the desired performance, Tagformance is the ideal device for the RFID designer”* confirms Davide Bergamini, Smartres CTO.

How to Provide “100% Performance Tested RFID” Efficiently?

Being able to tailor the best tag for each application purpose is one thing. What becomes at least as an important factor for guaranteeing a faultless RFID system, is that each delivered tag meets the designed performance. The only way to assure this is to verify the performance level of the produced RFID tags by 100%. With a wide banded component like a UHF tag, this cannot be done by checking the tag functionality on one frequency only, but accurately measuring the required wake-up power on multiple frequencies throughout the tag’s frequency band.

The most efficient way of monitoring product quality in a reel to reel manufacturing line is to produce RFID tags and have them tested in the same process. This allows reacting immediately to any changes in the RF performance of the process outcome. Having the testing inline instead of having it offline as a separate testing process, not only avoids large scale rework but also enables one process less. This means less machinery, fewer work hours, and less handling of the reels and having the risk of accidentally damaging the tags. In the end, this all comes down to delivering high-quality tags, with 100% measured and proven RF performance, efficiently.

This Is How to Do It!

As said before, RFID tag quality is mandatory, and the 100% supply of UHF RFID products performing within the specifications tolerances is specifically what the market looks for. To be able to grant this, on top of having the most efficient and reliable tag assembly operations, Smartres and A4IS decided to put in line the measurement of the response curve of the tags by adopting the Voyantic Tagsurance Tester, a state of the art device. With Tagsurance, each UHF RFID tag produced is checked against specifications and validated whether it’s good or not and instead of just marking the failed tags, also the performance level measured is recorded for each tag. These recorded log files give true traceability to the production quality data also afterward.

“Having the Voyantic Tagsurance in our manufacturing for some years already has given us a great advantage for process development and helped us to achieve a world-class high precision production process. We are delivering over 30 million UHF tags yearly with measured quality, yet produced with the best efficiency and minimum labor cost.” says Federico Chiesa , Smartres Operations Manager, going on with: “The in-line adoption of the Tagsurance allows avoiding any additional off-line operations. This minimizes the extent of damage caused by any errors and mistakes like poor raw material quality, process parameters or parts wearing, as any fault can be spotted immediately. It’s a valid support for the machine operator who has the live visibility of the machinery performance, allowing immediate action for any adjustment, resulting in the best possible efficiency. With a highly automated process as ours, part of the efficiency comes from the fact that only one operator is required to run two machines.”