The
HARTING
Technology Group, Lufthansa Technik Logistik, Lufthansa Systems and the Center
for Intelligent Objects at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits
have developed the first
UHF
RFID tag to meet requirements of maintenance operations in the aviation
industry.
The
transponder, which will be manufactured by HARTING AG Mitronics, will be used
for the permanent identification of aircraft components. The tag enables the
identification of components located outside of the aircraft cabin for the
first time. The transponder is attached to the components and then recognized
by a reading device.
"The tag is based on a unique
technology: 3D-MID," says Albert Birkicht, managing director of HARTING AG. A
laser activates the surface of a plastic part made with specially engineered
plastics. Then the activated surface area is chemically plated to create the
antenna. The process is called LPKF LDS (laser direct structuring). The
material used for the part is Vectra 840i LDS, a liquid crystal polymer from
Ticona.
The data for
the structuring is generated directly from the CAD data and processed in the
laser system, which allows structuring without the need to produce any masks.
The
transponder is resistant to extreme mechanical, chemical and thermal stresses
in aviation operation.
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