RFID is commonly used for track & trace applications in the automotive industry. There is an increasing demand for customized solutions that seamlessly drop into existing production lines. At a leading automobile tire manufacturer, Pepperl+Fuchs designed an innovative RFID system. At this customer’s site, the RFID system enables traceability of semi-finished goods while being cleverly integrated into the production line.

A key component of this solution is the high-frequency read/write device IQH1-F198-V1, which was built especially for detection of semi-finished goods on bobbins in cap strip and tire building machines. It is a challenging application, as the metal bobbin fixtures are located within the field of the RFID read/write device. Due to this proximity, wireless communication interference is possible. The position of the RFID tag attached to the bobbin is also not clearly determined. It is located in varying positions on a circular segment around the bobbin fixture.

To solve this problem, the HF read/write device features a ring-shaped design. This allows the bobbin fixture to pass through the read/write device while the RFID tag is always within the head’s detection range. Workers on the line do not have to pay attention to tag positioning when changing bobbins. This also enables reading and writing tag information while the bobbin rotates—as opposed to standard solutions that would require a standstill. This arrangement ensures process safety and traceability of semi-finished goods at all times.