On December 4, 2019, Impinj, Inc., a leading provider and pioneer of RAIN RFID solutions, introduced its Impinj M730 and M750 integrated circuits (ICs), the first members of the company’s ground-breaking Impinj M700 IC family. Smartrac has reacted promptly by today releasing its first product that fully leverages the new ICs’ increased sensitivity in a RAIN RFID inlay and tag design that combines a compact 42 mm / 1.7 Inch form factor with ARC-confirmed global performance and reliability.

New performance levels in retail and supply-chain applications

Designed especially for retail and supply-chain applications, MINIWEB particularly benefits from the outstandingly high performance and resulting fast inventory capabilities of the Impinj M730 and M750 ICs. With its small form factor, the Impinj M700-powered MINIWEB delivers on the promise of small, universal RAIN RFID inlays and tags that can be attached to, or embedded in, nearly any item in any operating frequency worldwide.

Smartrac’s new MINIWEB inlays and tags are available with Impinj M730 and M750 ICs. The Impinj M730 has 128-bit EPC memory and the Impinj M750 IC has 96-bit EPC memory plus 32-bit user memory. Both new Impinj ICs provide increased sensitivity, improved readability, and advanced features enabling new solutions for loss prevention with frictionless self-checkout and embedded tagging with seamless product returns. Both ICs are compatible with the GS1 UHF Gen2v2 protocol which ISO/IEC standardized as 18000-63.

New manufacturing processes for higher throughput and improved sustainability
Smartrac has adopted new manufacturing processes using state-of-the-art IC attachment technologies and equipment to fully leverage Impinj’s 300 mm silicon wafer design, which yields twice as many ICs per wafer as conventional 300 mm wafers. By applying leading-edge IC attachment technologies that use fast cure sealing silicone (ACP), Smartrac can rapidly and significantly expand its RFID inlay and tag manufacturing capacity and operating throughput to provide very fast product availability.

At the same time, the company minimizes the use of resources with an inherently positive effect on sustainability and ensures the superior product quality it is widely known for.

“In a close collaborative effort with Impinj and our state-of-the-art RFID development centers in Finland and Malaysia, we have managed to industrialize the new Impinj M730 and M750 ICs, adapt our manufacturing processes and speed, and incorporate new technologies in our successful MINIWEB inlay design in a very short time. All that underlines Smartrac’s status as an innovation and technology leader, and further strengthens the ties with our long-term supplier and strategic market partner Impinj,” said Dr. Juha Virtanen, Vice President Hardware Development at Smartrac.

“By supplying the Impinj M730 and M750 ICs to our global RAIN RFID inlay and tag partners, we achieved a significant milestone,” said Chris Diorio, Impinj’s CEO. “We are thrilled our long-standing partner Smartrac is driving quickly to enter the market with high-quality inlays and tags that leverage the capabilities of our new ICs and advance the Internet of Things.”

MINIWEB inlays and tags equipped with Impinj M730 and M750 ICs are expected to be available in sample quantities in the first quarter of 2020, and in high volumes early Q2 2020. The new RAIN RFID inlays will be introduced live at NRF Retail’s BIG Show in New York from 12 – 14 January 2020 on Smartrac’s booth #5455.