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RFID is a new force in the printing industry, and it is also the most promising field for many entrepreneurs with long-term vision. In order to meet the needs of different people, this article elaborates on the causes and hazards of static electricity on radio frequency tags, as well as the methods of electrostatic control experts and solution suppliers to protect radio frequency chips.
With the sudden emergence of radio frequency identification technology, radio frequency tags (RFID) have also entered the paper product processing industry. Equipment suppliers want to become the number one leader in providing radio frequency label solutions in the industry. This will drive the rapid promotion of this technology throughout the industry. The application range of radio frequency tags is limitless. Although it can bring countless opportunities to people, as the number of users increases, it will also bring people a certain degree of challenges.
Most label and trademark processors are asking: “What exactly is a radio frequency tag?” Radio frequency technology is a method that can store and retrieve data remotely. It uses radio frequency tags as a carrier. This tag contains an antenna that can receive and reflect radio waves from a radio frequency transceiver. According to the different power supply modes of the radio frequency tag, it can be divided into two types, one is an active radio frequency tag and the other is a passive radio frequency tag. The active radio frequency tag contains a built-in battery, and the latter does not contain a built-in battery. The built-in battery can transmit a clear signal to far away places, but the far away radio frequency tag is relatively large and the price is more expensive than the passive radio frequency tag.
This is exactly where the “earthquake” occurred. Radio frequency tags are electronic devices. People did not consider the harsh environment of the paper product processing industry when designing them. I’m not sure how familiar the paper product processing plant is with electronic components, but I can assure you that there is no suitable place to store unprotected chips in a paper product processing plant. Indeed, as mentioned above, there are many types of chips, some of which are more resistant to electrostatic interference. Despite this, there are still many documents that record cases of damage to radio frequency chips caused by electrostatic discharge. This kind of damage usually leads to a decline in product quality in a short period of time, and more serious, may cause the failure of the radio frequency chip.
problem
In the process of packaging and paper products processing, static electricity is a commonplace issue. For example: Slitting, printing and coating are all related to static electricity.
Electrostatic charges are generated by materials contacting and separating from each other as they go through different stages of production and processing. When materials contact and separate from each other, the friction between them (triboelectricity) will generate surface charges, or static charges. By definition, electrostatic charge is the residual charge caused by charge imbalance. This charge is usually generated on insulating materials, such as film or coated paper, and may also be generated on conductive surfaces isolated from the ground. This is an important point because many material suppliers claim that their new antistatic materials can protect RF chips from electrostatic charges. Unfortunately, their statement is not entirely correct, because static charges can be transferred to conductive objects that are isolated from the ground. Once such a conductive object (such as a radio frequency chip) is close to the ground, the transfer of charge can cause damage to the object.
Contact and separation of material surfaces
When two surfaces touch, the charge between them will be rearranged. When the two surfaces are separated, electron exchange occurs. One surface will give out its own electrons, then its charge balance state will be broken, and it will be in a positive state, while the electrons on the other surface will be in excess or in a negative state. The materials involved and the attraction and pressure caused by their contact and separation will have a huge impact on the amount of charge. To understand the charge characteristics of materials, you must consider the material’s rank in the triboelectric sequence. The relative position of the material in the triboelectric sequence table determines the amount and polarity of the charge generated when the materials are contacted and separated. The farther apart the materials in this sequence, the greater the amount of charge generated between them. In addition, the material at the top of the table is more likely to capture positive charges when it comes in contact with the material at the bottom of the table.
Since static electricity is gradually increasing, it will make the problem more complicated. Every time the material comes into contact with another surface, the charge it carries will increase. This is most obvious when the material is in contact with multiple surfaces, as is the case with the paper take-up roller in the web processing process. The most important thing is to realize that the control of these charges should be regarded as part of the plan to protect the safety of radio frequency tags during the production process. Typical production areas that are prone to a large amount of charge are: roll paper transfer system-unwinding device, pinch roller, accumulator, paper guide roller with insulating sleeve, corona treatment device, gravure printing roller, automatic recovery Roll device, independent packaging or cover device, etc.
Electronic equipment
The introduction of radio frequency chips into the packaging/paper product processing field has changed everything. Because these tiny circuits cannot withstand the influence of stray voltage. They may be damaged for many reasons, the most destructive of which is:
* Damage caused by direct discharge of static electricity. When a charged object or person touches the radio frequency chip, some of the stored charge will be transferred or released to the radio frequency chip, or transferred to the ground through the radio frequency chip. The charge transferred to the radio frequency chip has enough power to destroy the circuit on the chip. The transfer of energy is mainly reflected in heat, and this heat will cause the melting of one or more layers of materials inside the device.
* When conductive objects isolated from the ground are exposed to the electrostatic field, static electricity may also be generated. In these cases, the isolated conductor (RF chip) will be polarized in the electric field, and if the RF chip quickly contacts the ground in this case, it will generate current while seeking charge balance. The result of this is that when the electric field is removed, the radio frequency chip will generate charges of opposite polarity, in a charged state, then when it comes in contact with the ground for the second time, it will produce a direct discharge phenomenon.
* The influence of electromagnetic interference on the radio frequency chip is also very dangerous. The so-called electromagnetic interference is the overvoltage that we often mention in the electronics industry. If the radio frequency chip encounters instantaneous electricity, voltage or temporary electricity that exceeds its circuit insulation capacity, it will be damaged.
The failure analysis report made by the electronics industry department shows that the probability of static electricity causing indirect or devastating damage to the radio frequency chip is only 10%; in 90% of the cases, it will cause potential failures, and these potential failures will eventually lead to equipment failure. I think this potential failure is very similar to a crack in glass. This piece of glass may still work, but every time it is crushed, the cracks will be larger until the piece of glass is finally broken. The question is, when will the radio frequency tag fail? More importantly, people have no way to repair these potential faults during the production process; you have performed the final inspection on the radio frequency chip at your own inspection station and it works normally, but when When your customer tests it, it doesn’t work properly. At this point, the biggest problem facing manufacturers is the integrity of the chip. Yield is not what they really need, they need to provide customers with 100% reliable products.
solution
The most active radio frequency product in today’s paper processing field is the pressure-sensitive label. Now, its production process has become very slow, when the chip is transferred from the roll paper holder to the substrate, the running speed is only 50 to 150 fpm (feet per minute). Some manufacturers will embed the production process of radio frequency chips in their paper products processing process, or some small label processing factories will transfer some pre-assembled radio frequency chips to printed labels. In both cases, whether the insertion equipment they use is a very mature brand-name product or a processing machine assembled by themselves, it will have a great impact on static control.
To control the static electricity on the RF chip, you need to use an active static eliminator, which can maintain a relative ionization balance, and can also neutralize the charge generated during your specific application (speed, material type, etc.). The ionization balance (positive and negative charge balance) of the static eliminator is very important, because the offset printing voltage can damage some radio frequency chips. Although no industry standard has stipulated the voltage value at which radio frequency chips can be protected from electrostatic interference, many label manufacturers recommend that people keep the charge level at about 500 volts. For example, when the chips are put on the PS label assembly line, they become stronger, but many insertion equipment manufacturers recommend that people use a voltage of about 1,500 volts when the label is inserted into the label substrate. Static charge is controlled. In any case, the ionization balance brought by a well-designed ionizer can quickly drop the amount of static charge to a level that does not harm the RF chip.
Do not use passive static eliminators (metal foil or conductive cords) to protect the RF chip. Although in some industrial environments, passive static eliminators can eliminate some static charges, such ionizers are very dangerous for radio frequency devices because they can only reduce static charges to the critical voltage value generated by ionization. The danger of using this kind of equipment is that the critical voltage of passive static eliminators is usually higher than the voltage that most radio frequency chips can withstand.
Among active electrostatic ionization products, the most effective one that has now been proven is to lengthen the static bar. They can neutralize the static electricity on the high-speed (2,000 to 2,500 fpm) roll paper, and its assembly distance is very suitable, which can make the ions better mix and maintain a better ion balance. At the same time, it can keep the RF chip at a relatively safe distance from the high-intensity electric field next to the emitter. When the electrostatic rod reaches the transfer point (insertion point), it can successfully neutralize the static charge on the label paper (label printing material with adhesive and liner), paper or film. The so-called transfer point (insertion point) is the place where the radio frequency chip is exposed, and at the same time, it is also the most vulnerable and most vulnerable to electrostatic damage. Therefore, our idea of using static rods is to ensure the static equilibrium state of this area at all times.
The transfer (insertion) operation is very critical, because in this process, the radio frequency chip is very likely to generate charges due to contact or separation. In this regard, people usually use ionization equipment designed for electronic applications, ionization blowers or air-assisted ionizers in key areas, because the ion balance characteristics of these devices are more conducive to the sensitivity of the conductive chip, and they also have the ability to remove ions. Transfer to a small machine space.
The electrostatic rod can be used at the switching point inserted into the radio frequency chip to control the static electricity generated in the roll paper tightening roller or additional processing (such as die-cutting). For label processing plants, the removal process of the cut material after die cutting is also a well-known static electricity generation area, and it usually generates static electricity at a voltage of 20,000 or 30,000 volts. People must control these charges to protect the radio frequency chip and reduce the amount of charge accumulated on the paper roll when the roll paper is rewinded. The large amount of static charge on the paper roll is a huge threat to the radio frequency chip assembled on the label paper. The reason has been mentioned before, so I won’t say more here.
Summarize
Radio frequency technology has brought bright prospects to the packaging industry. It will bring a lot of business opportunities to this industry. Moreover, with the mass production of radio frequency tags on wider and higher-speed printing presses, static control has become an increasingly important issue. The more important the question. As long as you can control static electricity, the future belongs to you.
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