Vipers can strike in, somewhere, between 50 and 90 milliseconds. Commonly thought, humans blink in approximately 100 milliseconds. According to Kyle Bermel, Metalcraft lead RFID engineer, the Viper label die cast converter-- Metalcraft’s high volume in-line converter--clips at 30 milliseconds. That’s about three clips in the tick of a clock.
RFID Label Converting - Fast!
Using built-in customization by Metalcraft engineers, the Viper converter has increased its capacity by 40%. enabling more product to be put out-the-doors. Notwithstanding other variables, a label order placed with Metalcraft can be at the customer’s door within days of ordering because the machining setup is mechanized for labels of any conventional size and material using either wet inlays (those using adhesive) or dry. (See our post: Finding the Right RFID Converter For Your Needs)
But speed is not the only amazing thing about a Viper. Like the animal of the same name, because of its inherent, custom capabilities, it is proficient in what it does.
The Viper is able to adapt and handle a host of different inputs during one fast operation.
For instance, each individual inlay, the heart of a label, is only designed to be referenced by the manufacturer, the transporter and the retailer using the label for specific identification and application of one specific product or asset. One inlay is not interchangeable with the next on the roll. The Viper serializes with near perfection and has technology to intercept rare imperfection.
Depending upon customer use, inlay rolls for one buyer to the next will be different. Bearing different kinds of information, internal circuits (microchips) are of different sizes and have attached antenna of different configurations to account for frequency differences. Because of differences, the rolls of inlays sent to the converter for processing may contain 5000 to 20,000 inlays per roll. The internal circuits may range in size from 0.05 x0.05 (powder) to 3” x 3” (Frog) with many dimensions (all with unusual names) in between. Antennas may be measured in millimeter fractions (18mm square and 4mm thick, the smallest) to almost six inches long.
These variances are dealt with fast and easily by the Viper both in die cutting and in substrate placement because “the automated equipment to make a tag does not have to be set up for each roll type,” according to Bermel.
Metalcraft RFID Converting Advantages
Anyone dealing with adhesive-backed shelf paper knows the frustrations of substrate placement: curls and bubbles in the application. Label converters face the same frustrations only on a much larger scale. The Viper capably tackles these frustrations. As the label is being made, the tension on the roll to control laminate and the force needed to actuate the adhesives are maintained automatically. To produce a clear, quality product, Viper engineers have taken into account the thicknesses of input materials, width, and elasticity when designing an accommodating machine.
Alignment can also be problematic for converters when an inlay must go through the printer that creates the top layer of the tag. Placement of the inlay must be meticulous so inlays are not damaged and the code destroyed. The Viper places inlays meticulously three times the clock’s tick.
Obviously, the Viper has been designed against a well-defined workflow which includes an interface with the proprietary modular hierarchy of its computer iOS.
Still, the Viper does not sit in Utopia. Infrequently, inaccurate and disfigured tags can occur. Coupled with the Viper is a well-defined integrated, automated quality check process that validates tags in line, including, for instance, tags that are guaranteed to perform at certain frequencies. Metalcraft also uses Good Automated Manufacturing (GAMP) criteria to monitor documentation, specifications, and quality.
In Metalcraft’s customized, high volume label converter, the label customer will find an industrial control system adapted to interface with the Viper allowing its amazing technology to strike with proven, meritorious performance.
If fast turnaround and quality goods is a mark set for label needs (wristbands, windshield tags, and more), the company defined by those characteristics is Metalcraft, the converter, Viper.
If you are thinking about a RFID project or would like to find out more about our RFID tags and labels, please contact us or give us a call at 1-800-437-5283.
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About the Author: Julia DeetsJulia Deets joined Metalcraft in 1999 as the Marketing/New Product Director. Julia has held numerous roles during her career with Metalcraft, all related to marketing and customer support. Her current position is as the VP of Marketing and Customer Experience. She has both an undergrad and a Master's degree in Organizational Communications from Northwest Missouri State University and the University of Northern Iowa, respectively. |
