Low-cost RFID tags suit smart fluid couplings

An Innovision Research and Technology product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 8, 2004

Ultra-low-cost radio frequency identification tags from Innovision R and T plc will allow Colder Products Company to use RFID tagging on tens of millions of smart fluid couplings.

Ultra-low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) tags designed by Innovision R and T plc, the RFID design services specialist, will allow Colder Products Company (CPC) to use RFID tagging across a large range of its smart couplings, radically improving product identification and, therefore, quality assurance and safety.

CPC is an innovator in the design and manufacture of fluid couplings - connections and fittings that allow flexible tubing to be quickly and easily connected and disconnected.

Innovision R and T's ability to reduce the cost of RFID tags to less than a fifth of the cost of previous tags will allow CPC to bring the benefits of smart identification to virtually all of its fluid coupling requirements.

The implementation of RFID is an important strategic move for CPC and the company is planning to produce tens of millions of tagged couplings over the next 3 years.

In Smart Coupling, the main benefits of RFID are improved quality assurance, safety, and product identification in the transmission of liquids.

The tags enable identification of individual couplings and matching pairs, helping to ensure that they are connected correctly and that the appropriate liquids are being delivered through them.

A well-designed RFID system embedded within a fluid coupling can, therefore, ensure that non-authorised liquids do not enter containers in the filling plant or dispensing systems on the other end of the supply chain.

The tags are read-write, do not require line-of-sight reading and can even be embedded within the couplings.

CPC's initial RFID-based coupling applications will be found in food and beverage dispensers and chemical cleaning devices, where effective quality assurance is essential to users' safety.

In beverage dispensers, Smart Couplings can help ensure that correct amounts are dispensed, that sugared syrup is not used in drinks advertised as sugar-free, and that products can be monitored for freshness.

In chemical handling, RFID tagging can ensure the correct type and sequencing of ingredients.

"Innovision R and T's RFID tags will provide us with new opportunities because of their low cost and reliability, giving us an even sharper competitive edge," said CPC Smart Technology Business Unit Manager Rick Garber.

"Earlier options of stick-on labels containing tags were not entirely reliable across our range of platforms because labels can sometimes become detached, or worse, the die can be damaged in certain applications.

"However, Innovision R and T's tags can be embedded in our existing couplings, eliminating these potential risks and enhancing both quality assurance and reliability".

"Industry's understanding of the many benefits of RFID tags is growing rapidly, but adoption has often been inhibited by perceived cost," explained Rob Kitchen, Innovision R and T's head of consumer sector development.

"As one of the world's leading RFID design centres, Innovision R and T has succeeded in reducing costs through its novel approaches to the design of both its tags and the wider RFID system.

"By developing a business model that gives clients access to our technology at very low cost, we are now enabling clients such as CPC to place themselves at the forefront of technology and take significant leads in their respective markets," Kitchen continued.

"Smart RFID tagging can also be used as a cost-effective brand protection device and for a range of other business challenges in the consumer, medical and transport sectors.".