How to Choose RFID UHF Inlays for Retail & Apparel?
Nowadays, The use of RFID technology in retail is growing rapidly. Choosing the right RFID inlay is one of the stages of planning an RFID retail project. With so many different inlays and manufacturers to choose from, it’s hard to know which inlay is best for your retail application. Fortunately, Huayuan has accumulated rich experience in apparel and retail solutions in the past few years. Based on the retail RFID application we worked on, here are some tips to make your process easier.
So, how do you choose an accurate RFID UHF inlay? Please note the following tips:
1, Frequency
Most applications use UHF EPC Class 1 Gen 2 V2 RFID with a global bandwidth of 860 to 960 MHz. Most countries use 902~928MHz FCC, Most European countries use 865~868MHz ETSI. HUAYUAN is optimized for inlays to cover a wide range of global UHF RFID frequency bandwidths, allowing inlays to be used globally.
2, IC selection and Variable Data Processing
In order to make sure the inlay work, you need an integrated circuit (IC). The world’s leading IC manufacturers are NXP, Impinj and Alien. Their RIFD technologies have improved chip performance in terms of read-write sensitivity, thereby increasing productivity. Chip selection, optimized antenna design and system-level testing will ensure the correct label design for different applications. Automate processes in a wide variety of applications, such as retail and consumer goods. As the key partner of NXP, Impinj and Alien.etc, HUAYUAN can provide you not only competitive chip cost but also professional products and technical service.
For small batch applications, RFID zebras or Salto printers and handheld devices are used for tag coding, or RFID printers are used for one-step printing and coding of tags. In these cases, particular care should be taken not to use duplicate EPC in the field.
3, Size & Reading Range
The best RFID inlays should be small enough to be carefully placed into labels or tags while still being strong enough to achieve a long read range for maximum inventory accuracy.
Through ten years of practical application, RFID tags have been concentrated in three styles , especially in retail products, which basically cover 90% of the global RFID applications.
70×15, 72x17mm: Excellent front reading distance, suitable for batches, high reading requirements, can be suitable for most medium-sized labels of products up to 20 meters away.
50x30mm: Good reading distance at all angles, it is more suitable for clothing tags and tray or shelf labels, up to 15 meters.
40×15, 41x16mm, Reach the ideal reading distance in the smallest range, the longest distance can reach to 6 meters
Here is other antenna for option:
Large label around 95x20mm, which is suitable for long-distance reading, suitable for 4’x1′, 4’x2′, 4’x4′ industrial RFID labels.
Omnidirectional tags around 50x50mm, which is suitable for high tags with omnidirectional requirements, the chip is generally MONZA 4QT.
Mini label is as small as 3x6mm, the near field reading distance is about 10cm, we have intensive reading PAD package.
You can also develop or customize antenna according to requirements, we will need your clear following parameters.
A, Target performance; Target reading distance, angle, group reading performance, working environment, temperature and humidity of the application card reader
B, The objects and materials to be posted (inlay design needs to simulate the environment design),
C, Target operating frequency, ETSI, FCC, NCC, CCC
D, Chip storage and data requirements (choose the chip as the antenna design target)
E, Requirements for label materials (environmental protection, wear resistance, UV, waterproof, adhesive, post printing, cutting, roll packaging requirements).
There are many ways to use RFID UHF apparel tags in retail, but one of the most common is to put RFID inlay inside the tag or tag of a garment. The best RFID inlay should be small enough to be mounted discreetly on these RFID hang tags, while at the same time strong enough to achieve a long reading distance for maximal inventory accuracy. Because it is ideal for retailers to reduce the number of different sizes of inserts that must be used in deployment, it is best to use RFID paper label tags that can be properly implemented in any standard size tag.
Generally, RFID apparel tag labels involve different sizes and fabrics, such as jeans, sweaters, shirts, and other clothing fabrics. The following are the three most popular antenna sizes in the clothing industry:
Option 1: 1772+R6P RFID antenna inlay is suitable for RFID hang tags or RFID paper label. When it is close to denim, sweater, underwear, coat, shirt and other different fabrics, it has little impact and has the best performance.
Option 2: 5030+R6 RFID antenna inlay is suitable for making RFID care label and hang tag. This antenna design is omnidirectional and good for group reading, and the tag reading distance is slightly closer than 1772+R6P. It is only 50×30 mm, which can accommodate the vast majority of tags used in the world.
Option 3: 1641+R6P RFID antenna inlay performance is slightly worse than the above two antenna, but the size is greatly small. Generally, there are more popular for woven labels, and inlay can be selected for both horizontal and vertical direction. Generally, the reading distance can be more than 4 meters, which is no problem for inventory and passage.
Why Choose Huayuan
With its rapidly evolving technology and state-of-the-art performance debugging and test lab equipment. HUAYUAN offers state-of-the-art antenna design and RFID tag technology. HUAYUAN has the ability to bring a variety of antenna design, various form factors and performance to market.
As a 10 years key partner of AVERY DENNSION in Asia, we have billions RFID tag production experiences. All RFID tag adopt face stock and glue from AVERY DENNSION and UPM which guarantee the label quality and printing quality, and protect your projects from some potential risks. Each RFID Adhesive Smart tag has an unique ID and can stores user data for more efficient management. Our manufacture had equipped full serial printing, converting, die-cutting production line import from Muehlbauer, Bielomatik and Melzer e.g. We are confidently that we can offer you not only competitive cost but also high qualified tag as well as technical service in huge order.
Of course, no retailer has to make that choice alone. HUAYUAN’s expert team is very happy to talk with you and help you select the appropriate RFID inlay for your situation. If you have any need for technical support, please contact HUAYUAN’s sales team: info@huayuansh.com