CHECK ID: Intelligent RFID cartridges revolutionise consumables – instantly recognise originals in every machine, reliably prevent counterfeits and refills, and manage stocks and usage seamlessly and digitally.
CASE STUDY: CHECK ID Smart solution for magazines, spools and belts
High-quality equipment and machines and suitable consumables are part of the DNA of the mechanical engineering industry.
High-quality equipment and machines and suitable consumables are part of the DNA of the mechanical engineering industry. The continuous development of equipment and the high-quality composition of consumables guarantee good industry sales. The interaction of consumables and the safe use of magazines or spools is therefore of utmost importance. The switch from disposable to reusable pool components is a central component of the sustainable and resource-saving strategy of European companies. With the high costs of reusing packaging with original consumables, more and more cheaper manufacturers or replica suppliers are entering the market, causing massive losses in sales. In addition, documentation requirements, environmental regulations and process safety requirements for EU manufacturers are becoming increasingly stringent. As a result, many are looking for new ways to protect against counterfeiting, ensure process safety and achieve automated, seamless documentation as part of the switch to reusable packaging.
The starting point
The mechanical engineering industry, which usually supplies its materials on reels or in magazines made of plastic, is increasingly looking for solutions for active and secure communication between the carrier units and the machine. These solutions are also used in many areas of roll goods or in high-quality belt applications and, of course, have to contend with the same requirements there as well. Counterfeit products or unwanted inferior technical replicas, as well as incorrect use in downstream processes, are a major problem. The seamless tracking of pool and reuse units also represents a constant challenge for manufacturers.
The task for the inotec group was to make consumables so intelligent that communication with the processing system is possible both centrally and decentrally, and authenticity can be checked immediately in every machine. In addition, incorrect or unintended use had to be reliably prevented. For users in the field, this means that incorrect or once-removed components or spools cannot be used a second time on the machine. Neither in the machine currently in use nor in any other machines of the same type. Another important challenge for the solution was to ensure that each new unit in the manufacturer's reuse pool was optimally managed, booked and tracked as empties and deposit items. This enables the manufacturer, as pool manager, to constantly check its stocks and trace the use of its components right back to the customer. It must be ensured that all other units can also be managed in the same system on a central platform.
The inotec solution
The inotec group has developed a complete solution for renowned manufacturers in the printing industry, in which the materials and spare parts communicate with an RFID reader in the respective device via an RFID label with individual encryption on the cartridge, thereby activating themselves as originals when inserted.
To this end, the RFID labels are modified so that they fit optimally and securely on or in the magazine or spool and enable exactly the reading range (performance) required by the RFID reader with the adapted RFID antenna in the device. This ensures that no objects are detected that have not been placed directly in the device. Thanks to the encryption option in the RFID chip, the RFID labels can be programmed quickly and securely during production in accordance with customer specifications.
Encryption is possible up to DNA-capable levels. The free spaces in the RFID chip allow the machine to write back the usage status or deposit status to each label on the units. This also prevents decentralised reuse of the unit. In the case of reuse units, these blockages in the chip can be reset, released and reissued by an administrator with each subsequent run.
In addition to product-level safety, this intelligent material solution offers other major advantages in the process. Seamless recording of the materials used enables seamless material management to be integrated when the machine communicates via the web. When minimum stock levels are reached, reorders are automatically triggered with the manufacturer. If the wrong material is used for a work order, users can be corrected by the machine because the machine passes on the information about which version of the material on the spool or in the magazine is the right one for the required work run.
The RFID labels on the reuse units also offer logistical advantages. This means that the status of the used empty spools can be seamlessly documented from filling to packaging and stored in the system as a digital twin. This ‘real-time’ data can be recorded for empty containers using RFID in bulk during the process run. This enables optimal deposit and inventory management.
