UHF and NRC RFID labels can be printed if and when needed. (Image source: Brady)
Redoing missing tags and flagging up cables on the fly has never been easier with Brady introducing new UHF and NFC RFID labels which can be printed as and when needed
Brady’s new UHF label is not just a barcode label but also contains a UHF RFID chip and antenna. Portable printers such as the tried and tested Brady M610 recognise this label as one of the standard labels and perform printing as usual.
Two gaps are closed with this product. Firstly, this is an easy emergency solution which allows warehouse staff to replace an RFID label that has fallen off. They quickly redo one label rather than an entire batch of labels. Secondly, this label also represents a comfortable entry into the world of RFID for users who have not used it so far.
“It‘s a plug and play kind of application,” explained Louis-Emile Lammertyn, EMEA senior product manager at Brady. “This way, customers can start testing the possibilities of RFID without having to buy all the expensive hardware for a complete installation.”
A two-step process
The UHF RFID label works in conjunction with a portable printer and a handheld reader. In the first step, the label is prepared for printing using apps such as Nordic ID’s Encoding Toolbox which are installed on the reader. The human readable text which can include a barcode or QR code is then printed.
In the second step, the software on the reader is used to encode the label. The barcode, for example, can be married with the EPC value, or other information is put on the label. Asset management represents an ideal typical use case for this. “Imagine a big office building, for example,” remarked Lammertyn, “in which a new open-plan office needs to be set up. With this system and the new label, staff label everything as they go, encode the labels and generate digital lists which detail exactly which item goes into which cubical. It’s very simple.”
Click here to discover more about Brady RFID labels!
Also out now: the new NFC Cable Label
In order to support the neat identification of cables and thus nullify all potential confusion, Brady has now launched an NFC Cable Flag Tag. It is shaped like a trapezium and can easily be folded around a cable. “We chose NFC for this label,” explained Lammertyn, “because the reading distance is only two centimeters. With NFC, you can really know for sure that you have the correct cable.”