From: Andrew Johnson
Date: 2006-02-07 14:11:34
www.sokymat.com/inde… Tire IdentificationRadio frequency identification (RFID) technology applied to automotive tires: the key to the revolution in tire identification and supply chain management. Tire identification The discovery of the vulcanization process by Charles Goodyear in 1839 happened as one of the most famous accidents in the history of science and technology. The development of a stable rubber mixture unaffected by temperature variations, made it possible to begin producing automotive tires. Soon this led to the development of a high volume manufacturing industry that would produce millions of pieces per year. Today, an automotive tire no longer simply consists of a series of different raw materials combined to obtain a special rubber mixture. It is in fact a high-tech product that is required to offer the best possible performance within a wide temperature range and withstanding the highest mechanical stress, thus providing security for the driver of the vehicle. An automotive tire is created from steel wire, synthetic and natural Indian rubber, soot, oil, silicone and various other materials, integrated into its structure during the course of different production processes, e.g. mixing and vulcanization cycles, followed by the final inspection and storage of the finished product. The current state-of-the-art technology for tire identification consists of fixing a barcode onto the finished product. This method of identification only provides traceability between the moment the tire leaves the manufacturing plant of the tire producer, until it reaches the POS (Point Of Sale). As soon as the barcode is removed at the POS, the unequivocal identification of the tire is no longer possible. Thus, when quality problems occur, an it is extremely difficult, time consuming and costly to research the production lot the tire belonged to originally. To ensure the maximum quality of each tire, is becoming more and more important to be able to guarantee the unequivocal identification and traceability of every single item put on the market throughout its entire lifetime. Sokymat has developed special epoxy transponders that, can automatically be integrated into the tire at an early production stage or alternatively be attached to the tire with a patch at the end of the manufacturing process. Due to the special design of the epoxy transponders, these electronic components can withstand even the most extreme conditions during their integration into the tagged item. The high pressure and high temperature levels (of more than 160°C!) reached during the production cycle previously made it impossible to integrate RFID transponders into the automotive tire at the early stages of the manufacturing process. This has changed since Sokymats epoxy transponders have been placed o the market, but of course the exact location of the tag and the way it is applied to the tire has to be carefully evaluated and approved by both the tire and vehicle manufacturers. Product: Logi Tag Sokymats LOGI Tag 120 and the LOGI Tag160 transponders offer, in the case of a 64-bit read-only chip, the possibility to link all relevant features of the tire with the internal unique transponder number in an external data base. In the case of a 256 bit read-write chip, the data, e.g. information of the “DOT” code, can also be stored in the transponder identifying the tire and can be read whenever and wherever it is needed. Due to the fact that the tag remains on the tire or the tread during its entire lifetime, the tagged item can always be identified, even after a retread. Benefits: Passive solution without battery Reading possible even through the tire Unique Serial Number Optional (LOGI 120) 224 bit R/W memory to store “DOT-code” information Traceability from manufacturing through mounting Optimized manufacturing & logistics process (supply chain management) Improved maintenance of tires on passenger vehicles Traceability throughout the tires life cycle: supporting management of warranty issues Fast reaction time, improved analysis method in case of claims (warranty issues) Antitheft protection for leasing cars and trucks Sokymats team of RFID technology experts is always available to provide you with further information, and support to successfully integrate RFID transponders into your application!
