The RFID has revolutionized inventory management, transportation, and asset tracking. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to operate it in severe conditions (high or low temperature, moisture, dust, chemicals, etc.). Such harsh environments may compromise performance, resulting in read failures and a general decrease in the efficiency of the system.
It is important to note these environmental challenges and deploy methods to counteract them successfully. This blog discusses the challenges that are most frequently faced with RFID in this type of environment and provides useful tips to increase the longevity, enhance reliability, and ensure that the system keeps working under all conditions. Try to choose the best RFID inventory tracking system for your workplace.
Check Some of The Common Challenges During Harsh Weather
First, we need to learn about some common issues we will face during harsh weather conditions.
1. Extreme Temperature
Extreme temperatures can cause adhesives to melt, tags to warp, and chips to be damaged, whereas low temperatures can cause materials to be brittle and reduce the battery life of active RFID tags. The two conditions have serious ramifications for RFID system performance and durability.
2. Humidity Issues
RFID tags can be short-circuited by water exposure, antennas can be corroded, and condensation within enclosures can affect signal transmission. When unchecked, both problems may result in decreased performance and unreliable reads, and system breakdown.
3. Possible Contamination
Accumulated dust can cause RFID signal obstruction and misread, and abrasive dust can eventually cause tag surfaces to wear off. These conditions decrease system accuracy and tag life span over time, and thus, frequent maintenance and protection are necessary in dusty environments.
4. Chemical Exposure
RFID tags are degradable by harsh chemicals such as acids, solvents, and oils, which interfere with performance. Also, metal surfaces that are likely to exist within an industrial setup can interfere with the RF signal, causing inaccurate readings and compromised effectiveness of the system in question unless controlled.
5. Stress and Physical Impacts
RFID tags are vulnerable to vibrations, impacts, and mechanical stress, particularly in harsh environments. The tags attached to the moving components are more prone to becoming detached or damaged, thus compromising the tracking accuracy, which necessitates the use of more robust mounting options to guarantee successful operation.
What Can We Do to Prevent Any Damage and Ensure Smooth Working?
- Protective encapsulation, such as epoxy or silicone, can protect tags against moisture and abrasion, and RFID-in-metal tags can minimize interference on metal surfaces.
- The best location should be sought, free of heat sources, moving parts, and impact areas. Consult with an expert before using an RFID personnel tracking software.
- For safe mounting, use strong adhesives or fasteners. Select the appropriate frequency- LF to liquids and metals, UHF to longer distances.
- Test under stress conditions prior to deployment and consider redundancy, such as multiple readers or barcode backups, to sustain performance in the event of a tag failure.
With appropriate precautions, RFID can be made to work in a harsh environment reliably. Selecting robust tags, consideration of placement, and rigorous testing assist in making sure that performance can be dependable in spite of harsh temperatures, moisture, dust, or chemicals.
