V A 10 - Alpha Systems

1 GUIDELINES FORDIRECT part MARK IDENTIFICATION 1 INTRODUCTION2 SYMBOLOGY SELECTION3 READABILITY4 MARK PLACEMENT5 MARKING METHODS6 MARKING METHOD SELECTION7 MARK QUALITY VALIDATION8 READERS9 VENDORSAPPENDIX10 Microscan Guide to DPMI 32 Microscan Guide to DPMI 1 INTRODUCTIONBar codes have been successfully used to identifyproducts since the 1970s when they were first intro-duced to the grocery retail business. Since then, theyhave been widely adapted by other industries. Nearlyevery shipping and receiving department relies on barcoding technology to improve inventory s manufacturer, however, can no longer besatisfied knowing how many raw components arecoming in the door and the amount of completedproduct leaving the facility.

2 Manufacturers must alsoknow the status of their work-in-process inventory the overall concept of product tracking is notnew, the automated tracking of product down to theindividual part and component level has proven tohave even greater bottom-line impact. The most directway to ensure complete quality control of the produc-tion process is to directly mark a part with a machine-readable code and track it through its entire life is called Direct part Mark Identification (DPMI).Recognizing the benefits of direct part marking, manyindustry associations have already established stan-dards for marking individual parts and components fora variety of applications.

3 The EIA, SEMI, AIAG, DoD,and the SPEC 2000, aerospace industry have alladopted DPMI standards for applications in companies are using DPMI for their owninternal applications. DPMI can be used to opti-mize line performance, identify defects, increasefirst-pass yields and as a result, reduce the costsof manufacturing. Manufacturers also rely on DPMIfor identifying incoming parts for maintenance andreturns, resolving warranty issues and liabilityclaims as well as tracking high-value componentsto prevent dimensional symbols such as Data Matrix arethe most common symbologies used for DPMI applications because of their small size, datacapacity, error correction, and ability to be appliedby a variety of marking methods.

4 All a manufac-turer needs is .1 inch of square space on a compo-nent and it can be marked with a 5 or 6 digit DataMatrix symbol. As a result, Data Matrix enablesthe traceability of components such as crystaloscillators or custom ASICs that in the past couldnot accommodate any type of machine-readableform of 2D codes have been in existence since theearly 1990s, the introduction of the smart cameradesigned specifically for reading linear and 2 Dcodes has enabled the widespread adoption of thetechnology in the last few years. Smart camerashave succeeded where vision Systems have failedin providing manufacturers with a robust imagingsolution capable of high performance read rates ondirectly marked symbols with the ease of use andprice point of a bar code more than 20years experiencesolving auto IDapplications,Microscan providesthe necessar yexpertise to helpyou achievesuccess in yourDPMI moreinformation onMicroscan scomplete productline of imagers andsmart cameras,please call (425)

5 226-5700 or These areonly someof the manysymbologiesin use 128 PDF417 RSSData MatrixQRMicroscan Guide to DPMI 54 Microscan Guide to DPMI 2 SYMBOLOGY SELECTIONI ndustry StandardsThe first step in selecting a symbology is to familiarizeyourself with applicable industry standards. Industrystandards will dictate what symbology needs to beused, as well as other parameters such as density,data content, data syntax and other standard is different. Some provide the manu-facturer with some flexibility, others do not.

6 Pleaserefer to The Industry Specifications Table for a list ofcurrent industry standards relating to DPMI addition to investigating industry standards,review the standard specifications established byISO for the symbology. Many application challengescan be avoided simply by starting out with a goodsolid bar code. Following the specifications willhelp you accomplish this by giving you a solidfoundation of the characteristics of the Application NeedsFor applications not related to a specific industrystandard, it is important that you carefully evaluatethe needs of your application before you select asymbology.

7 First determine if you will be usinglinear bar codes or 2D codes. If you are unsure,ask the following questions:APPLICATION TIPS What are the goals of the application? What type and how much data willyou need to encode? How much real estate is availablefor the symbol? How will the symbol be applied? Will the symbol be used for internal purposesonly, or will it be read externally as well? Is symbol permanency a concern?Two dimensional codes, such as Data Matrix, aremore commonly used for direct part markingapplications than linear codes. Data Matrix, forexample, offers the robust Reed Solomon methodof error correction and much higher data yourapplication doesnot have astandard.

8 Youmay still benefitby reviewingstandards forapplicationsresembling SPECIFICATIONS TABLEI nternational StandardsISO/IEC 16022 Bar Code Symbology Specification Data MatrixISO/IEC 15415 Bar Code Print Quality Test Specification Two-dimensional symbolsAIAG StandardsB-1 Bar Code Symbology StandardB-4 Parts Identification and Tracking Application StandardB-132D Symbology White PaperB-14 Guidelines for use of Two-Dimensional Symbolswith the B-10 Trading Partner LabelsB-172D Direct Parts Marking GuidelineATA and IAQG StandardsATA Spec 2000, Chpt. 9 Automated Identification and Data CaptureAS9132 Data Matrix (2D) Coding Quality Requirements for Parts MarkingDoD StandardsMIL-STD-130 Identification Marking of Military PropertyElectronics Industr y Association (EIA)EIA 706 Component MarkingEIA 802 Product MarkingASA StandardsNASA StandardsNASA-STD-6002 Applying Data Matrix Identification SymbolsNASA-HDBK-6003 Application of Data Matrix Identification Symbols to Aerospace PartsUsing Direct part Marking Methods/TechniquesSemiconductor Association (SEMI)

9 SEMI T7-0303 Back surface marking of double-sided wafers with a Data Matrix codeSEMI T2-0298 EMarking wafers with a Data Matrix codeSEMI T8-0698 EMarking of glass flat panel displays with a Data Matrix codeSEMI T9-0200 EMarking of metal lead-frame strips with a Data Matrix codeSEMI T10-0701 Test method for the assessment of Data Matrix code qualityMicroscan Guide to DPMI 76 Microscan Guide to DPMI Since Data Matrix uses only one element size toconstruct the code, it lends itself more easily to abroader range of marking methods than linear barcodes.

10 Bar code symbologies rely on several differentelement widths to encode data, making it much moredifficult to be generated with certain marking main advantage to using a linear bar code is theability to read it with a laser scanner. Since manydirect part marks have low contrast levels, imagersoften times provide a more robust reading The MS-Q Imager from Microscan reads a variety of traditional bar codesand 2D symbols. The MS-Q Quadrus (shown here) specializes in hard to readcodes directly marked onto parts. Microscan Guide to DPMI 98 Microscan Guide to DPMI bar code if text or any other mark encroaches intothis area.