RFID tunnel and gate
Batch-reads the RFID tags inside a carton in one pass and checks the resulting tag list against the order; common in apparel and retail shipping and receiving.
Batch-reads the RFID tags inside a carton in one pass and checks the resulting tag list against the order; common in apparel and retail shipping and receiving.
RFID reading comes in two forms: a shielded carton tunnel on a conveyor, and an open portal; the tunnel makes cross-reads easier to control. Both use several UHF antennas. As a carton passes, the RFID tags on the items inside are batch-read, without opening the carton or scanning item by item. Through EPC middleware, the list read is compared with the order or packing list, and surplus, missing or wrong items raise an alarm. It suits apparel and retail supply chains where every item already carries an RFID tag; the key is to stop reads from neighbouring cartons.
Typical uses
- Checking packed cartons before shipping apparel and footwear
- Receiving checks in retail distribution centres
- Returns identification
- Outbound checks of store replenishment cartons
How to choose
- Tags per carton and how densely items are packed
- Gap between cartons and conveyor speed
- Whether goods contain metal or liquid, which disturbs reading
- Which system the reads are checked against
When it is not the right choice
- Items are not individually tagged: use a barcode scanning tunnel (it reads only barcodes visible on the outside)
- Mostly metal cans or liquids: test the read rate first; it may not suit
- Going live without cross-read tests: tags in neighbouring cartons get read
Key figures
| Frequency | UHF |
|---|---|
| Type | Shielded tunnel on a conveyor, or a portal gate |
| Read rate | About 99.9% in vendor tests: 200 items per carton at up to about 1.2 m/s with about 0.9 m gaps, or 50–100 tags per carton at up to 50 m/min; must be verified on site |
| Conveyor speed | Vendor limits commonly about 40–50 m/min |
| Throughput | Vendor figures about 360–600 cartons/h, others up to 400; a case of about 1,000 cartons/h |
| Antennas | Several, set by carton type and read requirement |
| Output | Tag list per carton, checked against the order or packing list; alarm or reject on mismatch |
| Cross-read control | Shielded housing, automatic curtains and a minimum carton gap; speed, gap and reader power are tuned together |
Figures are typical configuration ranges; exact specifications are set per project.
Options
- Combined with barcode scanning and weighing
- Automatic reject of mismatched cartons
- Extra shielding and absorbers against cross-reads
- Interface to WMS and ERP
Scope of supply
- Machine, drives and control cabinet, assembled and dry-run tested before shipping
- The equipment's own control and fleet software; interfaces to your existing WMS / ERP as the project requires
- Drawings: general arrangement, foundation and anchor plan, electrical schematics
- Conformity documents for the equipment and the whole line, the split of responsibilities and the acceptance criteria are set out in the contract according to the project scope
- Spare-parts list and wear-part recommendation; a first batch can ship with the equipment
- Factory acceptance (FAT): attend in person or follow by live video
- Installation, commissioning and operator training can be included in the offer
What we need for an offer
- Tag model and placement
- Items per carton, carton size
- Conveyor speed and cartons per hour
- Product materials (metal, liquid)
- System to connect to