E-Thread Technology: Each Product is Given Its Native Digital ID

Smart Garments with RAIN RFID!

Maximizing the benefit of RFID for the entire product life cycle!

The RFID yarn was designed and brought to series production by Primo1D’s engineering team. The yarn was able to demonstrate a high performance at a garment manufacturer two years ago. From that moment on, all efforts were focused on the manufacture and the industrial ramp-up of the RFID yarn.

Now, the E-Thread technology is protected by 20 patents. A miniaturized passive RAIN RFID tag is invisibly embedded in the yarn material and can outlast the entire product life cycle. The yarn with RAIN RFID differentiates itself from competing products by its small form factor and ease of implementation in a variety of materials. The objective: To offer brand owners additional usage options – complementary to classic tracking and tracing.

Isabelle Devant, Key Account Manager, Primo1D, in an interview with RFID & Wireless IoT Global.

Isabelle Devant, Key Account Manager, Primo1D

“Primo1D is a solution provider for customized RFID track and trace solutions. The product innovation of E-Thread technology, a yarn with RAIN RFID, can be provided coded and serialized according to customer specifications. All tags are 100 percent tested and coded before delivery. Services include RF performance testing, modeling and simulation for integrating products into customer applications. Our vision: Turning garments into smart textiles. Every product is given its own ID.”

Key Facts of the Yarn with RAIN RFID

Compliance: ISO 18000-63 and EPC global Gen2v2
Frequency Range: 860 MHz to 960 MHz
Chip Type: Impinj Monza R6P/M730
EPC Memory: 128 bits / up to 96 bits
User Memory: 32 bits / up to 64 bits
Slim ribbon form factor
Length: 13 cm
Width: 4 mm
Smallest tag footprint on the market
Material: Polyamide 6.6

Robust, Flexible – Designed for the Entire Product Life Cycle

The yarn with RAIN RFID is free of plastic substrates and has a low carbon footprint. It can withstand chemical and industrial processes, such as bending, washing and stretching stresses, as well as temperatures up to 200 degrees Celsius. "Up to 10 washing cycles at the end customer are easily possible. Projects to expand and optimize the resistance are already underway and are expected to be completed by the end of 2021.

Market demand indicates that up to 80 wash cycles are necessary," says Isabelle Devant. "The read/write rate in stacked conditions is 100 percent. The reading performance is not compromised by the small form factor."

Tagged Assets: Discrete Integration in all Materials

Individual Product Design Depending on Application

The unique form factor allows discrete integration into all types of materials. The antenna shape can be straight or spiral – depending on the material and application. The antenna must be robust and flexible enough, especially for industrial use, such as in cables or in tires. The transponders are also packaged according to customer requirements. The yarn, for example, can be supplied on spools. The reading range is configured according to customer requirements.

Unique Digital ID

During the production of the yarn, both wires of the antenna are directly connected to the RAIN RFID chip and then incorporated into the textile thread. The yarn with RAIN RFID is embedded into the garment during the manufacturing process. An inseparable digital ID corresponds exactly to one physical asset.

"The ID is retained throughout the product lifecycle. There is no way to detach the yarn from the garment without damaging the textile at the same time. The yarn with RAIN RFID streamlines and optimizes processes along the value chain. The unique embedded ID optimizes inventory accuracy, enables omnichannel strategies and EAS function, and triggers new usages like seamless product returns, rental and second hand models in fashion retail," says Isabelle Devant, summarizing the benefits.

From Manufacturing to POS

E-Thread technology serves as a key technology to maximize the benefits of RFID throughout the supply chain. "The introduction of the yarn with RAIN RFID opens up numerous uses for brand owners: From manufacturing, to transportation, to the point of sale. The yarn is more than a tracking and tracing solution. Digitalization is being driven not only in the retail sector, but also in a wide range of industries.

New business models are opening up, from e-commerce and omnichannel strategies to rental business models," says Isabelle Devant, explaining the motivation behind the product development.

Increased Item Availability and Customer Satisfaction

Tagged assets can be tracked throughout the supply chain all the way to the point of sale. Product returns to the store or distribution center are secure and fast. There is no need to re-label. Costs and labor are reduced in the distribution warehouse and at the point of sale. Integrated electronic article surveillance prevents shrinkage and theft. Smart garments support circular economic use cases for reuse. Re-use, recycle and up-cycle are possible.

"The exact data can be used for analysis and for further optimization," explains Isabelle Devant.

Further Application Fiels

Smart Tyres: Real-time inventories – Automating fleet management – Product authentication – Monitoring quality management – Tracking tires
Smart Cables: Real-time inventory – Locating assets – Preventing cable failures – Optimizing cable management
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment: Ensuring safety – Real-time inventory management – Allocating resources – Traceability – Maintenance
Aerospace and Defense: Inventory tracking – Maintenance – Quality Control

Source: RFID & Wireless IoT Global: Issue 01-2021