Airgas Inc. announced the launch of Airgas SmartTag, a small, microprocessor-controlled RFID collar that fits around the neck of a gas cylinder and provides instant data regarding the contents of the cylinder.

When the cylinder is filled, all data regarding the contents such as identification of the gas or gas mixture, the location where the cylinder was filled, gas pressure within the cylinder after filling, a Certification of Analysis, and expiration date for the gas is embedded in the RFID collar.

When the cylinder is connected at a customer location, the RFID collar records cylinder gas pressure and gas volume used throughout any given period of time. The data can be easily retrieved and transmitted to a provided hand-held display that customer and Airgas personnel can instantly collect the information and track cylinder usage.

Additionally, SmartTag has lights that indicate the status of the gas inside the cylinder. A green light indicates the gas is ready for use and a yellow light means the gas is within 60 days of expiration. A red light indicates that the gas is past its expiration date and should not be used.