Unique machine to produce a revolutionary RFID TAG

Project Information

SNAPTAG

Grant agreement ID: 779736

DOI

10.3030/779736

Project closed

EC signature date 10 July 2017

Start date 1 August 2017

End date 30 November 2017

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Nanotechnologies

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

FABELE - SRL
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SNAPTAG (Unique machine to produce a revolutionary RFID TAG)

Reporting period: 2017-08-01 to 2017-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Current RFID solutions do not fit with many applications. The thick and rigid structure made of PET, protects the antenna and limits the possibility of packaging and embedding applications such as laundry and plastic lamination. It costs 0.09-0.12 €/unit to produce the current tags, so it is expensive and not suitable for disposable use. Furthermore, the manufacturing process etched PET antenna is a dirty chemical process, and it generates PET plastic waste.

SNAPTAG is capable of producing highly adaptive RFID technology with an innovative production process. The new RFID tag will be more effective than current ones, and the related production process will make them cheaper too. SNAPTAG results are trans-sectorial since it can be applied to every industrial sector that needs tags from retail, to medical application. Additionally, it will accelerate innovation boosting the coming internet of things revolution, and create social benefits such as waste & energy consumption reduction.

The objectives of our innovation project, during Phase 2, are to further develop current SNAPTAG prototype that is at TRL6, in order to design and build 4 new customised machines for 4 new applications - Adhesive label, Ticket-Hang tag, Thermoplastic laminated tag and Heavy duty tag for embedding a protected tag. In parallel, we will improve RFID antenna design, and its manufacturing process to optimise the 4 different RFID tagged products. Moreover, full integration and automation (turn-key process) are required to reach TRL9.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

1) Redesign of the antenna making unit frame with steel, which is more economical and available.
2) Redesign of the antenna forming tool to permit high flexibility in size and shape of the antenna.
3) Redesign of the cut and clamp solution to enable industrial adoption.
4) Risk assessment and mitigation strategy.
5) Identification of legal requirements and nccessary certification.
6) Detail of the actvities to execute in a potential Phase 2 for bringing SNAPTAG to market (TRL6 to TRL9).
7) Market study to identify the target market, its segmentation, needs, barriers and drivers.
8) Product analysis (Pestle and Porter’s analysis).
9) Built distribution network for SNAPTAG, including selection of two potential partners.
10) Competitors analysis.
11) Freedom-to-operate analysis.
12) Financial projections and business plan.

From the results of this work, we concluded that the SNAPTAG project is technically and commercially viable. On the basis of these positive results from this feasibility study, the decision by Fabele is to continue with the project. To develop the SNAPTAG project from TRL 6 to TRL 9, SNAPTAG requires €1.12M. The first option to co-fund the activities planned over 24 months is the application for the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 2.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

SNAPTAG will accelerate innovation boosting the coming internet of things revolution, and create social benefits such as waste & energy consumption reduction. SNAPTAG project is a breakthrough solution towards new RFID applications, by a sustainable & adaptable production of innovative RFID tags (by SNAPTAG Machine) as its “Zorro tag” extremely competitive RFID solution for new applications with liquids & metallic surfaces such as bottling, plastic lamination. SNAPTAG are both cheaper & disposable costing 0.03€/unit, they are green tag as they replace inlay PET by biodegradable paper.
SNAPTAG machine offers competitive cost-effective tag production that cost 78.000 €/unit, compared to traditional equipment for tags labelling & encoding, up to 1M €/unit, with low operation cost of around 0,01€/tag for high volumes.

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