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During the lifecycle of an item, RFID tags allow the item to be identified or tracked. It is possible to track objects using RFID tags, including assets and inventory, in healthcare, retail, and manufacturing industries. Before purchasing or deciding on an RFID tag, this guide discusses the main aspects to consider. Because each title may be slightly different, choosing a tag engineered to work in an environment and application similar to your own is crucial to achieving the best results.
What is an RFID laundry tag?
Tags designed for linen, uniforms, and garments are called RFID laundry tags. Water and detergents are not a problem since they are typically made of soft rubber, flexible textile and robust pps.
They are highly flexible and can withstand extreme pressure (up to 60 bars) and up to 50 washing cycles.
Hospitals and hospitality facilities use the laundry tags the most. To ensure that all garments are cleaned before being put back into use by other patients, they provide they are cleaned before being reused.
In addition to providing a wide range of eco-friendly soft silicone RFID laundry tags, SEIKO RFID also offers a full range of rugged silicone RFID laundry tags, which are great for tracking laundry items in hospitals, nursing homes, garments, and hospitality industries. With 360° read profiles, it is easier to track tags from any point of view. An array of attachment methods is provided.
With RFID, inventory management is made more accessible, and the shopping experience is increased for customers. According to the RFID tags, the system can provide custom advertisements on selected clothing based on which types of clothing are selling faster. Additionally, this technology reduces labor costs.
Washable smart labels are RFID solutions for laundry. Textile garments, including linens, uniforms, and uniforms needing to be washed, benefit from attaching RFID tags. RFID performance remains the same regardless of how many times they are washed.
Laundry RFID tags can also control other textile garments, such as linens, towels, uniforms, or other textile possessions.
An RFID system was implemented in eight American Apparel stores, preventing stockouts and saving about 60 to 80 hours of labor per week. Sankei uses a similarly advanced RFID system, one of Japan’s largest apparel companies, to track its products during the manufacturing process and online sales.
An extensive study of the impact of RFID on the processes and supply chain of the Kaufhaulf departmental store in Europe has been conducted. RF tags are being used in warehouses to track goods and facilitate cross-docking operations since goods are not separated in the warehouse but instead stored as they were received from manufacturers.
Tracking the goods as they arrive in the distribution center’s receivable area with RFID readers is possible. Goods received in pallets, or individual fashion items can be read by RFID transponders and tracked using the data stored on the transponders. It can also provide the ability to control quantity up to 100% satisfaction level without requiring count hangers, items, and pallets.
EMR waves are used to communicate between RFID tags and RFID readers, and antennas. Using electromagnetic waves, the reader and antenna direct electromagnetic energy to RFID tags nearby. Antenna-harnessed waves are converted into a current that propels the integrated circuit into life, providing energy to the tag. The tag’s antenna sends out a signal once the chip turns on, modulates the power with data from its memory banks, and outputs it again. Modulated energy is what is known as backscatter because it is what responds to the reader/antenna.
The following brief facts about RFID tags:
- Almost all of them use electromagnetic waves for power, without batteries.
- Batteries (either passive or active) allow these RFID tags to achieve much longer reading ranges than their counterparts without batteries.
- It is unnecessary to have a line of sight with the reader, as with barcodes.
- Backscatter refers to how tags communicate with RFID readers.
- Multiple tags in the reading area are handled in an order determined by “Anti-Collision” algorithms.
- Tags can have reading distances ranging from inches to well over 120 feet.
- EPC, TID, User, and Reserved are four memories of the integrated circuit (IC).
- Tags have unique antenna shapes to ensure optimal reactance.
Organize hotel laundry with a washable tag
It is not unfamiliar for a hotel to have thousands of towels, bed sheets, or bath towels to wash. The laundry service should pick up these items each day. When they are washed and folded, they should be returned to the hotel. The number of things makes it easy for the mistake of losing or taking one by accident. Hotel owners have suffered financial losses due to these mistakes.
After affixing the washer and waterproof laundry tag, everything gets better. Now, what are the results?
The basic first and foremost task would be to place an RFID tag on each item, and a reader at the entrance would transfer the collected data to a central system.
With a high added value, we offer three kinds of textile tags:
- A thermocline laundry tag with UHF capability
Easily sewn or attached with a fusible label, the tag is rated at more than 200 washes. A wringing pressure of 60 bars can be applied to the sponge and temperatures of -40°C to +85°C.
- The laundry tag uses UHF Gamma Lin technology.
Intense gamma radiation will not damage this tag. In addition to sterilizing medical equipment, these rays also destroy any bacteria present on it.
- The laundry tag used by HF
In addition, the tag is packaged in thermoplastic, which can withstand high pressure and temperatures between -25°C and 110°C, as well as shocks and chemicals.
What are the benefits of RFID laundry solutions?
- It gives you fast, quick, and easy access to inventory information.
When companies lack inventory visibility, they have problems conducting operations effectively or preventing theft or lost items.
Daily inventories are not performed if stolen items are found. Consequently, an inaccurate list can lead to delays in day-to-day operations. As well as helping the company to take faster inventory, RFID tags on textiles help the company to do it efficiently and daily.
- Information that is relevant to customers
Through the RFID tags on the rented textiles, companies can gain valuable information about their customers. Sewing RFID tags can achieve documentation of previous tenants, rent date, and rent duration into fabrics. A company can collect and analyze this information to determine items’ popularity, history, and customer preferences.
- Check-in & check-out to guarantee accuracy
The process of lending out or renting textiles can be complicated and confusing without a standardized way of managing information like loan dates, customer details, due dates, or linen information.
As a result, RFID arrangement software provides a client database for handling essential customer details.
Moreover, when the due date is close to being expired, the appropriate company is notified. With such a system in place, a company and its customers can communicate well with one another.
- Accurately record wash counts.
It is essential to analyze laundry wash cycle analytics for each garment since they enable us to predict garment end-of-life dates. There is a limit to how many high-powered wash cycles linens and uniforms can withstand before they fray and start to wear. In the absence of wash cycle counts, it is hard to approximate a garment’s end-of-life date, so replacements need to be planned.
Identifier tags sewn into clothes and linens are detected by RFID readers when they are dried. This will update the software database with the total number of wash cycles.
- Steward against theft and loss
When counting stolen or lost textiles by hand, there is a possibility of human error, especially when large quantities need to be counted. An RFID tag containing a unique EPC number can help find specific stolen or lost textiles quickly.
As a result of accounting for and classifying the lost items, the guest in a hospital or hotel pays for the lost item, and the company’s chances of losing money are slimmer.
