Smartrac is extending its RAIN RFID portfolio by launching new Belt inlays featuring UCODE 8 – NXP’s recently introduced UCODE 8 RAIN RFID chip platform. Smartrac Belt inlays are designed for item-level retail and logistics applications. They are characterized by an extended read range and allow usage in light dielectric materials, such as cardboard or plastic boxes.

UCODE 8 is the latest generation of NXP’s UCODE series and enables enhanced read distances and faster inventory counts for high volumes of items. The chip features an automatic adjustment function (Self Adjust) that optimizes the chip sensitivity to gain maximum performance in different environments. This optimization is performed at startup and is enabled in the default chip configuration as delivered by NXP. Furthermore, the chip has an integrated Brand Identifier function to prove product authenticity and a memory safeguard system to protect business data.

Each feature that makes the UCODE chip platform stand out is fully leveraged by Smartrac’s new inlays that share compact size, high performance and suitability for a wide range of applications. Belt inlays and tags are designed for item-level retail and logistics applications, offering high performance in typical end-user areas such as brand protection, inventory accuracy, loss prevention or enhanced customer experiences. The special antenna design meets RF requirements for close coupling.

“As the leading provider of RAIN RFID ICs for Industry 4.0 applications, NXP’s new UCODE 8 offers best-in-class RF performance and is the perfect solution for fast and accurate inventory of dense RAIN RFID tag populations,” says Markus Staeblein, vice president and general manager for Secure Mobility and Retail at NXP. “Smartrac has a proven track record of designing high-quality inlays and tags, so we’re excited to collaborate with them also on their newest Belt inlay, which underscores our joint commitments to delivering the best RFID solutions available today.”

“We are very excited to be expanding our comprehensive RAIN RFID portfolio and IoT solutions by incorporating one of the most advanced chips in the market, UCODE 8. Further inlays and product innovations will follow in the coming months. In collaboration with our long-term partner NXP, we will be able to enrich our product offerings for our customers in areas such as retail, logistics, industry and more,” says Hal Hikita, senior vice president of product management of Smartrac.

Like all applicable transponder products manufactured by Smartrac, Belt with NXP UCODE 8 also benefits from the capabilities of Smart Cosmos: Smartrac’s Internet of Things platform records and manages a complete set of unique transponder data (e.g. UID no., order no., batch no. or yield) at production level in a controlled and secure way. As the backbone of Smartrac’s product digitization solutions, Smart Cosmos enables full traceability of delivered RFID products and provides a fully reliable quality assurance.

Smartrac Belt with NXP UCODE 8 is included on the approved inlay list for all categories by the RFID Research Center of the University of Auburn. Belt, measuring a diecut size of 2.9 x 0.7″ (73 x 17 mm), will be offered in paper tag, dry or wet inlay format and is currently available.