The document summarizes RFID tag production at Company X using equipment from Tyco. It describes initial issues with the production process but how the process was optimized over time through modifications to the equipment and procedures. Key changes included increasing the size of conductive epoxy dots from 20 mil to 40 mil, redesigning RFID antennas and attachment nozzles to improve strap attachment, and continuously monitoring production metrics to ramp up capacity. The production using the Tyco equipment grew from initial low output to producing over 2,000 feet and 1,000 RFID tags per day by optimizing the automated process.

1. RFID Tag Production @
Company X
Company Y Presentation

2. What is RFID?
• RFID stands for Radio-Frequency IDentification. The acronym refers to small
electronic devices that consist of a small chip and an antenna. The chip typically is
capable of carrying 2,000 bytes of data or less.
• The RFID Tag device serves the same purpose as a bar code or a magnetic strip
• RFID tags may be of one of two types.
– Active RFID tags have their own power source
– Passive RFID tags, do not require batteries and can be much smaller
4. The strap is then attached
to a metallic antenna and
attached to an adhesive
label – making an RFID tag
3. Metal is printed on the
substrate to connect to
the chip, creating a Strap
metal ink
substrate chip
strap
Metallic
antenna
1. Processed Silicon
Wafers containing
chips
2. Chip or Integrated
Circuit is cut into a
specific shape from
the wafer

3. Substrate - 2 mil
PET
TOP LAMINATE
BACK STOCK
Antennae
IC
Strap
FACE STOCK
Typical RFID Tag Composition

4. • A Radio-Frequency IDentification System has three parts:
– A scanning antenna
– A transceiver with a decoder to interpret the data
– A transponder - the RFID tag - that has been programmed with information.
• The scanning antenna puts out RF signals that does two things:
– It provides a means of communicating with the transponder (the RFID tag) AND
– It provides the RFID tag with the energy to communicate. When an RFID tag passes
through the field of the scanning antenna, it detects the activation signal from the
antenna. That "wakes up" the RFID chip, and it transmits the information on its
microchip to be picked up by the scanning antenna.
How does RFID work?

5. Brief History of the Tyco RFID Web Production
Equipment & Tyco Support @ Company "X"
• Early 2006 - Tyco started new RFID Web Production Division to compete with others
• Mid 2006 –Company "X" enters into contract with Tyco for a small RFID Web Assembly set of equipment with
the hope & opportunity to expand to multiple units and/or more complete production lines. Tyco equipment must
meet a specific Parts/hour placement prior to "buy off".
• Late 2006/Early 2007 - Tyco & "X" start working together on the Development of "X"s system. Defining and
engineering some of the "uniqueness" from a Surface Mount process to a Web based process.
• Early 2007 - Tyco SUPPORT for the RFID Web Systems Division is:
1. Sales person
2. Full Engineering, both Mechanical, Electronic & Soft Ware support
3. Full Field Service support.
4. All integration & further Development!
• mid 2007 - Tyco spins off Tyco Ltd which inherits the RFID Web Systems. Mike Trubilla takes over as Process
engineer for “X”.
• Early 2008 - "X" "signs off Tyco purchase after moderate success with Transit Card production, why the system
was originally purchased. Confusion on materials and expectations was resolved & proved in and then after
required production output for "sign off".
• Tyco "claims" a "Hugh" profit loss in the deal. “Writing on the wall”, is they want out!
Tyco then "Shuts down" the RFID Division with no notice???.
• Early 2008 – Mike Trubilla at "X" gets Training 4/2008 from Tyco and takes over the major support of the Tyco
System and is allowed phone call support. Tyco "stops" all future engineering support and Field Service is
realigned.

6. Un-Winder
Re-Winder
Laminator
Tensioner
QSP-2
Vacuum Roll
Bar
Cure Oven
CAC
Dispenser
The RFID Tag Production Line = ~45 feet of web processing

7. • Mid 2007 (prior to Mike) - initially production started with only one
product at ~ 200 tags/hour on a very limited daily basis.
Approximately averaging 2 to 3 hours/day or ~ 15 hours/40 hour
week.
• September 2007 through to early December 2007. Production
quickly ramped up when the majority of the production problems
had been resolved. >200 Tags/hour for >30 hours/week
• In the March/April 2008 timeframe, as one product was reducing in
daily production, new products replaced the capacity until one new
product dominated the production requirements starting in May/June
timeframe. In late July a 2nd
shift was put into place and then
September 2008 a 3rd
shift was trained and brought online.
Overview of the Automated RFID Tag
Production @ Company “X”

8. Shifts
feet parts feet parts feet parts feet parts
Sep/Oct - 07 1,250 17,778 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
Nov-07 2,000 28,444 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
Dec-07 5,912 84,082 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
Jan-08 9,717 138,197 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
Feb-08 12,868 183,012 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
Mar-08 22,158 315,136 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
Apr-08 16,131 229,419 1243 15910 N/A N/A N/A N/A 1
May-08 N/A N/A 3354 42931 N/A N/A 4122 58624 1
Jun-08 N/A N/A N/A N/A 1512 27216 31303 445198 1
Jul-08 N/A N/A N/A N/A 1756 31608 45534 647595 1,2
Aug-08 N/A N/A N/A N/A 267 178 54176 770503 1,2
Sep-08 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 58628 833820 1,2,3
Oct-08 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 101075 1437511 1,2,3
TOTALS 70,036 996,068 4,597 58,842 3,535 59,002 294,838 4,193,252
373,006
5,307,163
TOTAL GOOD FOOTAGE RAN
(does not include leaders, trailers, bad web, start/stop web, etc)
TOTAL PARTS PLACED
(based on footage and not "boards" populated)
Transit Tickets ICSPrinceton Library L1
Tyco Production to Date - 9/2007 to 11/08

9. My 1st
Review of Company
“X”s RFID Tyco Web
Production Equipment.
10/10/07
Note: This review was based on the two weeks “crash course”/training with
outgoing Engineer prior to leaving along with Mike’s 1st
week of running a
production roll, 229488 -347665, from 9/17/07 to 10/8/07.
This information, in rough draft, was reviewed with Company “X”s CEO & VP
of Manufacturing on 10/15/07. This formal documentation completed 12/26/07.

10. • Industrial Un-Winder
and lead Tensioning
for web.
• Looks heavy duty &
works!
Front End of Tyco Web Production Equipment
Un-Winder Tensioner
Feeds into the CAC
Dispenser

11. 2nd
Major Part of Tyco Web Production Equipment
• Problems:
– No “dots” after >4 hrs
– Replacement parts
– Changing of pump systems, single &
triple head
– Calibration
– 20 mil dots
– Pump cleaning/back up pump
– 2 memo’s documented some issues:
1 - CAC - 3-HEAD PUMP problems, 10-10-
07.doc
2 - cac dot setting eval for tyco, 10-23-07.doc
Dispenser
Creative Automation Company’s
Chemical Dispense System
Feeds into the QSP-2, 2
Gantry chip/strap attach

12. 3rd
Major Part of Tyco Web Production Equipment
FEEDERS:
• Jammed straps
• Strap Tension into feeders
• Bad/cut-out straps – pick errors &
vacuum issues
• Epoxy spread from Gantry pickup
tips to punch heads, etc
• Dispenser Conductive dot
placement
• Change Antennae forks to new
design for dot alignment & epoxy
squash control. One memo - QSP-2,
feeder problems, 10-11-07.doc
GANTRIES:
• Epoxy on pick-up tips - Either bad
Conductive dot placement, poor
strap placement, or incomplete
straps.
QSP-2 Strap attach, 2
Gantry/2 feeder system
Feeds into the Vacuum
roll-bar tension control

13. “X” added this Part of Tyco Web Production Equipment
Cure Oven – Company “X”
designed & built for curing of Snap
Cure Paste - ~110°C for ~ 20 sec.
• Temperature Control not working on Top
oven.
• Not “Ruggedized”.
• Need a 3 Zone Temp Monitor for web
sense.
• What heat settings – based on web, work
panels, stopped web time, paste used.etc
Feeds into
the Vacuum
roll-bar
tension
control

14. 4th
Major Part of Tyco Web Production Equipment
• Gap for Cure Oven, ~24” & oven =
23” (hot plates ~21”).
• What's important is that this is
“perfectly’ parallel to the QSP-2 as
well as to the laminator and Re-
Winder to keep the web equally
tight and not “walking” to one side.
• Ideally the QSP-2, Vacuum roll-
bar, laminator & the Re-Winder
should be on a “two rails” to keep
them perfectly parallel.
• Overall this unit looks good.
• Possibly change the size &
amount of vacuum holes – smaller
and more to prevent wrinkles in
the 2 mil PET.
Vacuum Roll Bar providing final
tension prior to lamination
Feeds into the Web Fill
Box & then Laminator

15. 5th Major Part of Tyco Web Production Equipment
Laminator – cold/hot
lamination, also provides
Tension Control to Re-Winder
• NOT DESIGNED FOR THIS
APPLICATION!
• Needs to handle larger rolls
• Needs an Input Guide System!
• Laminate Re-Winder
• What's important is that this is
“perfectly” parallel to the Re-
Winder to keep the web equally
tight and not “walking” to one side.
Feeds
into Re-
Winder

16. End of Tyco Web Production Equipment
• Industrial Re-Winder and
Tensioning for web through
Laminator.
• Looks heavy duty & works!
• Input Edge Guide Sensor allows
web “shake” & massive web
jogging vibrations. Needs
modification.
• Why was equipment set so far front
that the web runs all the way to one
side and not in middle of rollers?

17. Initial work to resolve the poor
performance of the RFID tag
manufacturing with the Tyco
System.

18. First major problem that had to be resolved from the previous engineers work
and was a major roadblock to dramatically increase production and provide
adequate capacity was the idea that the process required pushing the physical
capability of the mechanical chemical dispensing system to attain 20 mil dots
of conductive epoxy to provide the following:
1. adequate adhesion,
2. minimal/enough contact resistance
3. and not risk creating conductive epoxy shorts in the Tags coils and IC
Strap attachment due to strap compression on the epoxies.
After discussions with the technical personnel who formulated this requirement
when they initially worked with Tyco and set the acceptance parameters of the
RFID Tag Equipment set, and then reviewing both the equipment capabilities,
the RFID tag dimensions, the IC strap dimensions, the question was asked –
•Why 20 mil dots? Why not try 40 mils instead or can they be larger?

19. This was then properly evaluated by working with the equipment
vendors and the process was refined along with hardware
modifications to the point that this major process problem was
eliminated.

20. 5/16/08 - Tyco Assembly – CAC dispense dots after re-tune & rebuild
of pump.

21. Re-designs of the RFID Antennas was put into place to further
enhance and support the new epoxy dispense process, which actual
produced a more robust strap attach process.
0.07”0.03"
0.03" 0.07”
0.04"
0.10”
0.03" 0.07”

22. Additionally a Re-design of the Tyco nozzle that places the straps on the
antennae was put into place after discovery of another initial design flaw that
allowed/produced poor compression of the strap into the conductive epoxy.
This was creating a reliability problem in the field with poor electrical contact.
Vacuum
Area
Old Design
NO Squash on
Conductive Strap area.

23. Proposed
(not to prospective)
New Tyco QSP Nozzle
~.002”
0.020”
0.080”

24. Instructions, Non-conforming problems, experiments,
evaluations and capacity ramps with upgrades were
continuously provided as the manufacturing demand
increased:
1. Equipment(1) & Operator(2) Instructions(3)
2. Manufacturing & Engineering Training – last Tyco training support
3. Operator Safety – laminator exhaust
4. Upgrades for more Capacity – ROI and support memo
5. Reduce equipment issues - PMs
6. Corrective Action reports to Vendors – NXP strap supplier issue
7. Capacity Ramp up plan – Tyco equipment upgrades/changes
8. New supplier evaluations – Antennae Web printing

25. As production was ramped, various metrics
and process performance tools were
continuously being put into place to control
and monitor Company “X”s manufacturing
success:
1. Output’s – provide Intervals & Capacities
2. Pareto’s - Scrap reduction & Targets for improvements
3. Expenses – supply cost reductions, inventory control

26. Tyco - Good Feet Output, Hours Worked, & Rolls/Day
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2200
Date
FEET
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1
# of Rolls/day
HoursWorked
Good Feet Ran # of Rolls Hours Worked Linear (Good Feet Ran) Linear (Hours Worked)
RFID Tag Production Summary for 2/18/08 to 4/30/08

27. Tyco Production Output - not including splices, garbage, leader, trailers or non-straped web
footage which = ~4% more footage & varying non-production time.
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
2100
Date
Feet
Good Feet Ran Linear (Good Feet Ran)
RFID Tag Production Summary for 2/18/08 to 4/30/08

30. 10.0330.53Calculated Avg Grams of
Epoxy in tubes
XA-80215CA-3150
$ 2.730.4157.60$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802157
$ 11.121.6658.85$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31506
$ 0.890.1357.32$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802156
$ 1.220.1857.37$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802155
$ 9.251.3858.57$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31505
0.9082.983std dev$ 1.410.2157.40$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802154
$ 2.400.3657.55$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802153
0.93.6min$ 7.441.1158.30$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31504
2.48.2med10/13/08$ 9.051.3558.54$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31503
3.311.1max10/13/08$ 3.640.5457.73$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31502
10/13/08$ 3.260.4957.68$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802152
0.7872.359avg dev10/10/08$ 2.730.4157.60$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802151
$ 2.09$ 7.44avg10/10/08$ 4.170.6257.81$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31501
XA-80215CA-3150
Waste
$/tube
Calculate
d Waste
Weight
Removed
"empty"
tube
wo/cap or
closure
Cost
/Gram
"state
d"
Grams
of
epoxy
/tube
Tube
Cost
epoxy
type
Estimated Epoxy Tube $$ lost
10.0330.53Calculated Avg Grams of
Epoxy in tubes
XA-80215CA-3150
$ 2.730.4157.60$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802157
$ 11.121.6658.85$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31506
$ 0.890.1357.32$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802156
$ 1.220.1857.37$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802155
$ 9.251.3858.57$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31505
0.9082.983std dev$ 1.410.2157.40$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802154
$ 2.400.3657.55$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802153
0.93.6min$ 7.441.1158.30$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31504
2.48.2med10/13/08$ 9.051.3558.54$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31503
3.311.1max10/13/08$ 3.640.5457.73$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31502
10/13/08$ 3.260.4957.68$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802152
0.7872.359avg dev10/10/08$ 2.730.4157.60$ 6.5810$ 65.80XA-802151
$ 2.09$ 7.44avg10/10/08$ 4.170.6257.81$ 6.6830$ 200.30CA-31501
XA-80215CA-3150
Waste
$/tube
Calculate
d Waste
Weight
Removed
"empty"
tube
wo/cap or
closure
Cost
/Gram
"state
d"
Grams
of
epoxy
/tube
Tube
Cost
epoxy
type
Estimated Epoxy Tube $$ lost

32. More Production Information,
Evaluations & Documentation.
• Supplies usage – Epoxy usage calculation
• Process change records – QSP Process Change record
• Cost savings – add 2nd
dispense pump to reduce interval
• RFID IC/Strap Evaluation – switch to cheaper NXP IC Straps
• Operator Recipe Book – Detailed Product Instructions
• Future Projects Overview – Engineering Production Roadmap

33. Tyco QSP video –
placing IC straps
on the antennae
web.
(Sorry no popcorn)

34. Questions?
Thank You!