SMARTRAC Launches New Gamma Radiation Proof RFID Tags

SMARTRAC N.V., the leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of RFID transponders, announced recently that it has broadened its product portfolio with an RFID transponder that withstands gamma radiation of up to 45 kilogray (kGy).

The new transponder, which is part of the company's established S-Tag product family, is especially suited for use in medical applications where aseptic conditions are compulsory.

Sanitizing medical equipment with gamma rays offers several benefits. As the irradiation destroys the DNA of any microorganisms, medical equipment is sanitized reliably. In addition, radiation sterilization is the only process in which products can be sanitized including their packaging, as the gamma rays permeate materials and casings such as metal containers easily and without any appreciable increase in temperature. Compared to heat and chemical sterilization, irradiation is therefore a fast, easy, effective, and environmentally friendly process that leaves no residues on the sanitized objects.

The new transponder has been developed based on the company's S-Tag product family. SMARTRAC S-Tags are characterized by robustness, high mechanical durability, extended chemical and temperature resistance and compliance with the ISO/IEC 15693 standard.

The new S-Tag has a size of only 16 mm in diameter and comes with a Fujitsu FRAM chip. This chip type offers low power consumption, excellent scalability, high-speed writing, long rewriting endurance, long data retention, and high-quality communication performance. Due to the ferroelectric characteristics of the chip, the data is in no way affected by the radiation sterilization process. Furthermore, optional customer-specific laser engraving of identification numbers on the tag surface makes the use of additional stickers and barcodes obsolete.

Besides medical applications the new S-Tag is also suited for use in aerospace, plant breeding, food irradiation and laundry applications.

About SMARTRAC N.V.
SMARTRAC is a leading developer, manufacturer, and supplier of RFID components for a broad bandwidth of applications in all current frequency standards. The company produces ready-made as well as customized transponders for public transport, access control, RFID-based car immobilizers, animal identification, libraries, industry, and logistics.

SMARTRAC is the global market leader in high-quality RFID inlays for electronic passports (e-Passports) and contactless credit cards (e-Payment) as well as for RFID transponders for public transport applications. SMARTRAC was founded in 2000, went public in July 2006, and trades as a stock corporation under Dutch law with its registered headquarters in Amsterdam. Since December 2008, SMARTRAC has been a member of the TecDAX, Germany's leading share index for companies in the technology sector. The company currently employs some 2,700 employees and maintains a global research and development, production, and sales network

SOURCE: SMARTRAC N.V.