Metalcraft debuts RFID label service

Metalcraft, a veteran producer of durable identification products, has announced the launch of its new RFID conversion equipment during the National Property Management Association’s National Education Seminar in Minneapolis this week.

The company is focused on delivering reusable RFID labels and tags suitable for demanding applications, customized to meet the evolving requirements of the industry. Metalcraft RFID products include bar codes and other subsurface-printed information.

‘After six years of being in the RFID industry, we’re confident Metalcraft now offers the world’s most flexible and efficient production of durable RFID labels and tags,’ said Metalcraft president Steve Doerfler. ‘Strengthening our RFID conversion capabilities builds on our 56 year history of helping businesses control and track property, products and processes. We’re a converter that adds a lot of value to our products.’

Features of Metalcraft’s flexible, RFID converting service include:

• Subsurface printing of logos, copy, bar codes and other fixed or variable data
• Full encapsulation of HF or UHF inlays in polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene or polycarbonate, die cut to a custom size
• Customized attachment options including “hang tags” and isolated constructions for mounting to metal surfaces
• Inlay programming for custom data, UPC or EPC codes with synchronization of the item’s printed image and post-programming data verification

‘We’ve worked for 18 months to develop our enhanced RFID conversion capabilities,’ said Doerfler.

Doerfler stressed the company’s focus on durable, reusable applications, citing Metalcraft labels and tag designs engineered to last as long as the customers’ tracked assets.

‘We think durability and reusability is the best path to a return on an RFID investment, especially for mobile assets in harsh environments and assets made of materials like wood, plastic and metal,’ said Doerfler. ‘That’s why Metalcraft makes Metal Mount labels and other products that can withstand exposure to chemicals, abrasion and high temperatures.’

Integrators play an important role in Metalcraft’s RFID labels and tag production, too, as companies move to RFID systems. According to Doerfler, many companies are exploring how to deliver a return on their RFID investment; Metalcraft’s flexibility and hybrid bar code/RFID products are proving important to integrators and end users in this context.

‘We’re able to produce prototype labels to prove out pilot tests and can handle orders from several hundred to several million,’ said Doerfler. ‘We work with several inlay manufacturers to maintain flexibility in design and delivery, too.’