Primary Data Carrier RFID or 2D Barcode?

JDW 09/2007

Serialization in Production
Primary Data Carrier Considerations

1. Determine how to achieve

Item to Carton/Bundle to
Case Association
2. Determine need for Item
serialization carrier visibility
in secondary packaging

JDW 09/2007

1D and 2D barcode facts

A barcode (also bar code) is a machine-readable representation of information (usually dark

ink on a light background to create high and low reflectance which is converted to 1s and
0s).

Originally, barcodes stored data in the widths and spacings of printed parallel lines, but
today they also come in patterns of dots, concentric circles, and text codes hidden within
images.

Barcodes can be read by optical scanners called barcode readers or scanned from an image
by special software. Barcodes are widely used to implement Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC)
systems that improve the speed and accuracy of computer data entry.

Bar codes are grouped into two types of symbologies:

Linear Symbologies: A linear (or one-dimensional or 1D) symbology bar code is made up of
one single row of various widths and lengths of predefined black bars and white spaces.
Normally, these bar codes are "vertically redundant -- the same information is repeated
vertically. The heights of the bars can be truncated without any loss of information. The
vertical redundancy allows a symbol with printing defects to still be read. The higher the bar
heights, the more probability that at least one path along the bar code will be readable.

Two-Dimensional Symbologies: The need for ever increasing amounts of information in

smaller spaces has lead to more compact and higher density symbologies found in twodimensional (2D) symbologies. The PDF417 bar code is a more common 2D symbology. You
can find this type of bar code on your drivers license and SSS ID. There are also bar codes
that are laser engraved and branded to a part. These are called Direct Part Marking (DPM.)

JDW 09/2007

RFID facts

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic identification method, relying on

storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders.

An RFID tag is an object that can be stuck on or incorporated into a product, animal, or
person for the purpose of identification using radio waves. Some tags can be read from
several meters away and all operate beyond the line of sight of the reader.

Most RFID tags contain at least two parts. One is an integrated circuit for storing and
processing information, modulating and demodulating a (RF) signal and can also be used for
other specialized functions. The second is an antenna for receiving and transmitting the
signal.

RFID tags come in three general varieties: passive, active, or semi-passive (also known as
battery-assisted).

Passive tags require no internal power source, thus being pure passive devices (they are only
active when a reader is nearby to power them), whereas semi-passive and active tags
require a power source, usually a small battery.

To communicate, tags respond to queries generating signals that must not create
interference with the reader's, as arriving signals can be very weak and must be told apart.

Typically, backscatter is used in the far (Electric) field (UHF tags), whereas load modulation
is used in the near (Magnetic) field (LF and HF tags).

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COMPARISONS / CONTRASTS / OBSERVATIONS

Cost - In high volumes, RFID tags cost more than a 1D or 2D barcode. (~$0.30 - $.0.15 versus ~$0.05) This is

Scanning - RFID offers a wider scanning range and does not require a visual line of sight to scan a tag. This

Reliability - Both RFID and Barcode are mature, proven technologies however RFID tags offer a robustness

Physical Size - RFID tags can be the size of postal stamps. The ratio between a tags dimension in length and

Lifespan - Tags have no moving parts and can be enclosed in protective material, providing a sturdy casing. Bar

Counterfeit - Tags are produced with a unique identity code or serial number from the manufacturer. This is

Memory Some barcodes (i.e. PDF417) offer some similar or more amounts of initial data to be printed/written

JDW 09/2007

due to material cost. If you implement RFID on an item level today, maybe its more than the cost of a tag,
however the application should drive the technology implemented bar codes and RFID can and do co-exist
because of the redundancy required in some applications and the high degree of accuracy RFID provides.

means that tags placed on a carton, packed in a box, or stored in a pallet may be read. You dont have to open
each box to be scanned. Bar codes offer only a read range of inches and requires line of sight to read a bar code.
The bar code should be presented to the scanner in a particular distance. Individual reading requires each box on
a pallet to be opened and the item pulled to be read by the scanner. However, although requiring line of sight,
bar code read rates are fairly reliable even in the some challenging environments. 1D barcodes require a rastering
laser while 2D barcodes usually require an optical system.
that barcodes cannot. Some RFID tags can be immersed in chemicals, exposed to water, dirt, mud, grease, etc.
which would render all barcodes useless.
width is not a significant factor for the reader. Bar codes are highly sensitive to aspect radio for readability to a bar
code scanner.
codes are subject to damage with excessive handling and harsh environments.

embedded in the microchip, and may not be altered, making them counterfeit proof. Bar codes may be duplicated
and attached to products and can be counterfeited.
whereas RFID tags typically have user memory that can be written and re-written hundreds of thousands of times
reliably.

Serialization in Production
Cost Summary

RFID as primary, 2D as backup

US$ 0.9-1.3 million/line
2D as primary, human readable as backup
US$ 0.8-1.8 million/line
One time Site Costs: US$ 75-150,000

JDW 09/2007

Some examples of Barcodes and TI-RFID tags

LF 12mm

LF 23mm
LF (134.2kHz) TAGS
(from 10 ~170 ASCII characters)

LF 30mm

EAN13 barcode (1D)

13 digits

PDF417 barcode (2D)

Up to 2710 ASCII characters

JDW 09/2007

HF (13.56MHz) TAGS
(from 32 256 ASCII characters, plus 64 bit UID, 8 bit AFI and DSFID)
(Pro tags have Password write and Kill Feature)