UPM Raflatac and Blue Spark Technologies partner for battery assisted passive RFID projects

UPM Raflatac and Blue Spark Technologies have recently formed a partnership specifically targeted towards the development and launch of new and innovative products and applications in the emerging battery assisted passive (BAP) RFID market.

Both companies bring to the alliance their own product knowledge and engineering expertise applicable to BAP RFID technology. UPM Raflatac is a developer and supplier of HF and UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and inlays and self-adhesive label materials. Blue Spark is a supplier of thin, flexible printed battery solutions suitable for use in a host of industrial and consumer applications, including RFID and smart cards.

The research and development partnership was enabled with the launch of a new EPC Gen2 battery assisted passive RFID chip from Swiss-based EM Microelectronic. EM's new EM4324 RFID chip is capable of battery assisted read ranges up to 50 meters (154 feet) and features 1024 bits of non-volatile memory. The chip includes a ‘low battery’ alarm. Radio frequency performance and durability assurance will be provided by UPM Raflatac's tag and inlay design capabilities, supported by the company's worldwide production and testing facilities. Power will be supplied by a variety of Blue Spark's thin, flexible printed battery solutions, including the ultra-thin Blue Spark UT Series.

‘Blue Spark is excited to partner with industry leader UPM Raflatac. Together, we can leverage our knowledge and experience to create a virtual 'idea factory' that will enable us to develop and test exciting new products built around our respective technologies and bring them to market in a timely way,’ said Gary Johnson, president and CEO for Blue Spark Technologies

‘UPM Raflatac is well known as a market leader in best -in-class passive RFID inlay technology. New market development requires the best possible partners to meet industry requirements and expectations, and we are pleased to be working with Blue Spark. Battery assisted RFID inlays strength is in applications where longer read range and robust reading is required,’ said Samuli Stromberg, marketing vice president for UPM Raflatac.

Both companies view battery assisted passive RFID as the next chapter in the evolution of the RFID market. BAP effectively bridges the gap between pure passive RFID technology and high-end active and real-time location systems (RTLS), from both a price and performance standpoint. The companies will focus their efforts on developing high-volume BAP RFID-enabled products for consumer, life sciences and industrial markets.

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