RFID Aerospace Solutions

The aerospace industry has always relied on a complex and technologically advanced global supply chain. However, almost all parts are still tracked using handwritten documents and manual data entry. Seamlessly tracking the assembly and delivery of all components of a supplier is a very painful and error-prone process, and the whole process lacks real-time visibility.

ThingMagic has extensive and in-depth cooperation with Airbus and Delta in the management of RIFD aerospace applications. The high quality of ThingMagic RFID series products has won the trust of two leading companies in the aviation field. As the general agent of ThingMagic in China, Shenzhen Quanshunhong will also use the technical advantages of ThingMagic products to promote the development and application of ThingMagic RIFD products in the aerospace field in China.

Delta RFID application

The application of RFID technology in the aviation industry has many proven advantages. RFID will:

Improve airline configuration control by improving the accuracy of known “delivery” configurations.

Reduce costs by identifying non-conforming parts; this will also help reduce airline inventory.

Provide reliable parts traceability.

Reduce internal processing and cycle time and solve service-related problems.

Improve the accuracy of information exchanged between the aviation industry and suppliers.

In addition, RFID technology will provide competitive advantages in the following ways:

No line of sight requirements.

Dynamic read/write capability.

Read and recognize multiple tags simultaneously in harsh environments.

RFID technology is changing rapidly. The advent of cheap RFID tags and other data storage technologies means that large amounts of information can be stored on tags fixed to components or consumables. Many industries that rely on aircraft can benefit from RFID:

Airport

Logistics

Air freight

Defense

Food

Maintenance Organization

Aerospace/Supplier

Aerospace / OEM

RFID aerospace solution advantage 1: product certification

Let us use an example to illustrate the question of product authenticity. Airbus is responsible for every component installed on the aircraft. More importantly, it cannot allow products that have not passed rigorous testing to be placed on the plane. Each product has passed quality certification. But one of the problems Airbus faces is that in remote areas, such as some African countries and beyond, maintaining aircraft has become a huge challenge, even if it only needs to track certified components. According to data, about 1,000 new aircraft are manufactured globally every year, and another 25,000 aircraft are in use.

Airbus estimates that there are approximately 3,500 parts on each aircraft that can be tracked using RFID-equivalent to close to 92 million labeling requirements. Of course, this is just incomplete statistics. Engineers did not intentionally assemble inappropriate parts, nor did they intentionally use poor-quality parts, but the performance of parts is difficult to simply judge before use. And because Airbus is responsible for the safety of the aircraft, it cannot take any risks.

Use RIFD technology to track aircraft parts, store information on RFID tags, and establish a product information system. When inspectors use mobile RIFD readers, they can read the unique RFID tag information of the parts.

Airbus (Airbus) is the industry’s leading manufacturer of civil aircraft. The company’s customer-centric philosophy, business knowledge, technological leadership, and manufacturing efficiency make it to the forefront of the industry. In 2005, Airbus had a turnover of more than 20 billion euros, and has now firmly grasped half of the world’s civil aircraft orders.

RFID aerospace solution advantage two: production and supply chain visibility

AMR Research estimates that there are still between US$1.6 billion and US$3 billion in waste in the U.S. aerospace and defense supply chain, which is roughly double this amount if considered on a global scale (Source: Aerospace and Defense Industry Outlook, AMR study).

RFID aerospace solution advantage 2: automatic MRO scenario

Every part of the aircraft is marked with RFID. The mobile RFID reader is used to read the marked aircraft to obtain maintenance information of all its parts. Aircraft maintenance personnel can call all the details of the aircraft engine to determine whether the aircraft can fly for another day or a week before maintenance.

RFID aerospace solutions

　　1. Ultra-light RFID tags

Ultra-lightweight and flexible RFID tags can provide a powerful, easy-to-use and reliable solution for long-lasting data management and historical information visibility of aircraft parts.

Reliability

It can maintain good performance on the flat or curved surface of metal or non-metal or composite materials inside or outside the aircraft.

Durability

Very durable and can withstand exposure to extreme environmental conditions

Easy to use

Ultra-lightweight structure: the weight is less than 2g!

Easy to adhere by pressure sensitive adhesive

Reading range: The patented design provides a large reading distance whether on metal or non-metal surfaces.

　2. Reliable and easy-to-use RFID software system integrating design, printing and programming

The RFID software and printer system can design and print labels and program simultaneously within 15 seconds. RFID software supports you to design labels and enter data in accordance with ATA Spec 2000 according to customer requirements.

Intuitive RFID software system

Intuitive workflow, maximum ease of use

Data entry options: manual, database driven, query driven or fully automated

Provide reliable security features

Comply with ATA Spec 2000

Integrated printing system

Integrated printing, coding and verification process

Accurate parts identification

Industrial printers for roll-type thermal transfer labels

Print quality at 600 dpi

3. Powerful RFID reader

RFID handheld reader provides added control and inspection of data on RFID tags. The RFID handheld reader and its software make the data readable, and can add historical information of parts to the RFID chip.

Handheld RFID reader

Built-in ERP interface

High RF sensitivity and higher accuracy

Robust design and protection

Aerospace tailored RFID asset tracking

Compatible with ATA Spec 2000

Ability to add historical information of parts

Configuration available for all label types