Traceability System Improves Quality, Inventory and Warranty Control for Heavy Equipment Manufacturer

The bar coding of finished products is an effective and widespread tool for managing inventory and distribution, expediting work-in-progress and simplifying warranty fulfillment. Read how the implementation of a bar coding systemis helping a major heavy equipment manufacturer trace critical parts through the production cycle.

USE OF BAR CODING
Indented BBC marks are expressed by highs and lows in surface height and BBC readers use differences in height, rather than contrast, to distinguish the bars and spaces of the code being read. This allows BBCs to be read where no contrast is available (e.g., when a part is exiting a heat treating cycle and the surface is dark).
In order for BBC to be used, a given material must meet two criteria. First, it must reflect enough of the red laser light of the reader to be detected by the reader's camera. Second, the material must be capable of being formed into a suitable bar code. Bar codes can be formed by any process that results in a readable code. Some examples are molding, casting, embossing, chemical etching, laser engraving, stamping, indent marking, and milling. Table I lists some typical materials and the types of processes that are appropriate for creating Bumpy Bar Codes on them.