Electronics Are Molded Into RFID Device

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.