The US-based RFID tag and reader product provider Alien Technology Corporation has begun high volume RFID tag production using its second generation Fluidic Self-Assembly (FSA) manufacturing line.

     The new production line is soon to replace the company''s first generation FSA process which was used to assemble the ten million units that the company has shipped over the past two years. 116.30.147.133 This article is copyright 2004 UsingRFID.com.

Increased output
     The company says that the increasing output of the new FSA production line will become more important over the coming months in enabling Alien Technology and its various partners to meet market demands. Alien is also planning additional tag assembly and test capacity in its new Fargo facility later this year.

     "FSA uses massively parallel assembly of RFID integrated circuits into a thin and flexible form factor that is ideally suited for conversion into finished RFID tags," explained Alien Technology''s CEO, Stav Prodromou. "By integrating all the steps in tag production in an automated reel-to-reel manufacturing process, FSA provides far greater capacity and far lower cost than other approaches."

2 billion straps yearly
     The second generation FSA line is capable of assembling up to 2 billion straps per year, according to Glen Gengel, Alien Technology''s vice president of manufacturing, who says that the company has already achieved over one million units per shift, and that performance still continues to improve.

     Using the FSA technology, the company manufactures EPC Class 1 tags in high volumes at low cost. Alien also offers RFID readers for a variety of applications including supply chain management, logistics operations and anti-counterfeiting, and the company is an active member of the EPCglobal standards body.

 

 

 

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