The principle of track & trace can also play a useful role in the laboratory in automating the lab as efficiently as possible. RFID tags on samples and equipment help with this, says Fearghal Jones, territory sales manager at Brady Corporation. In March 2022 he gave a lecture on this topic during the LabAutomation event.
By: Dimitri Reijerman
Brady Corporation provides labeling products for certain professions and industries, ranging from the automotive sector and aerospace to data centers. One of these is the laboratory sector. “For example, we supply labels that continue to function in liquid nitrogen or at -80 degrees Celsius,” says Jones. “We can now also equip these labels with RFID technology.”
“Where you see many laboratories working with barcodes, or even handwritten labels, we think that the next step is RFID technology. In addition to near field communication, such as in the public transport chip card, we also use ultra-high frequency. This way you can read labels wirelessly with a scanner from a distance of 10 to 12 meters.”
Faster reading
Applying RFID can make processes in a laboratory a lot more efficient, says Jones: “With barcodes you have to scan one by one. With an RFID scanner you can read an entire freezer or a complete stock at once. A cupboard, for example, can also remain closed. Metal is a disruptor. We have a solution for this by equipping the back of the label with an anti-conductor. However, that does affect the readrange.”
And thanks to new technology, more and more application possibilities are emerging for radio-frequency identification: “Developments in RFID are happening very quickly. You can already equip them with temperature sensors or sensors that can measure humidity. You can also label equipment with RFID labels. This way you can determine whether everything is present in an operating room at the push of a button. So you can apply RFID very broadly.”
Sustainable labelling
“In practice, our labels are mainly used in the context of sustainability,” says Jones. “They can last for decades. RFID may be too expensive for 'fast work', such as blood tests, but with large volumes the costs naturally decrease.”
The software is also getting better: “Each RFID chip has a unique number. This way you can link information from the primary system. We recently acquired a company, Nordic ID, which has developed an API to allow systems to communicate with each other. This makes RFID even more powerful.”
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