Drawing a barcode has become even easier! Drawing qr code on plastic.

Methods and equipment for applying and reading a barcode

S. Golyshev

Printing barcodes on packaging or product labels

The bar code can be applied during packaging production (by printing) or use self-adhesive labels that are printed using special printing devices (printers). The choice of printer depends on the application using bar coding. To print a barcode on paper documents, it is advisable to choose a conventional laser printer (it is highly desirable that it has built-in support for barcodes). It is not recommended to use dot matrix and inkjet printers in this case due to the fact that printing should be of a sufficiently high quality. If you still decide to use them, you need to keep in mind that the quality of printing on a laser, matrix or inkjet office printer can significantly affect the ability to read a barcode scanner. It is advisable to always check the ease of reading it with the scanner that will be used in real conditions.

Since bar coding is commonly used for marking various objects, bar codes are often printed on self-adhesive labels from a variety of materials (which are then pasted onto different surfaces). With a small number of printable labels, you can use the same laser printer and labels on the sheets. Those who are going to regularly print several hundred or more labels a day should consider purchasing a specialized label printer. These devices are usually characterized by high performance and minimal amount of resources spent.

In these printers, two printing methods are usually used: direct thermal printing and thermal transfer method (thermal transfer). The first method is to change the color of the thermal paper the label is made of when heated by the print head of the printer (most fax machines use the same printing method). The second allows you to print on labels from plain paper (as well as from polyester and other synthetic materials). Paint is transferred to the label from a special ink ribbon (ribbon), which is a consumable. This printing method provides a more stable image on the label and is not exposed to external factors such as temperature changes, high humidity, direct sunlight, in some cases - to the effects of chemicals (gasoline, solvents, alcohol-containing substances) and extreme temperatures (from –35 to +90 ° C).

Printers operate on a computer running Windows or MS DOS. Users can easily design their own labels using Windows environment editors or special label design programs. All printers support a lot of symbols in hardware, which allows you to quickly and with high quality print a large number of different barcodes.

To determine print quality, barcode verifiers are used that perform a series of control readings, and then create a report that details key parameters that affect the quality of readings. Portable verifiers are used when it is impossible to bring a barcode to a computer (bulky cargo). Some industrial thermal transfer printers have built-in verifiers, which is convenient for large print jobs or, if necessary, to achieve optimal barcode quality.

Drawing a barcode on a product

Until recently, barcodes were read using very expensive devices, which prevented the widespread use of DPM technologies, since they were associated with high costs and often provided an extremely low economic effect.

In depth and preservation, marking methods are arranged in increasing order.

Ink jet marking based on the application of droplets of ink of a very small size at predetermined points on the surface of the moving material, which form the desired pattern. This method is quite high-performance, but the ink has low resistance to adverse factors (abrasives, temperature, etc.), therefore, it is unsuitable for long-term and reliable information storage.

Needle marking  based on the mechanical impact of a sharp needle on the surface of the material, in which recesses are formed in the form of points that make up a given image. This method is less productive than the previous one, but the resulting pattern is distinguished by resistance to abrasive and chemical effects, as well as extreme temperatures. Needle marking can be carried out using an electromagnet or compressed air.

Stripe marking  - mechanical shock-free impact tightly pressed to the surface of the material with a sharp needle-cutter. When moving it, continuous lines are formed, which as a whole make up a given image. In terms of productivity and resistance to adverse factors, this technology is similar to needle marking.

Laser marking  based on a change in the color of the surface of the product under the influence of a laser beam. This method has high performance in combination with sufficient resistance to adverse effects (abrasive and temperature).

Etching technology  based on the effect of chemical reagents on individual areas free of protection on the surface of the material. With low productivity, this technology can also provide high accuracy and average marking performance.

How is a barcode read?

To read barcodes, special devices called barcode scanners are used. The scanner illuminates the barcode with a light or laser beam and reads the resulting image. After that, he determines the presence of black bars of the barcode in the picture. Decryption of the barcode is performed by the receiving device or an external decoder. If the scanner is equipped with a built-in decoder (it is available in all modern models), the latter decrypts the barcode and transfers information to the receiving device (computer, cash register, etc.) in accordance with the interface signals (RS-232, USB port , PS / 2 keyboard break), as determined by the scanner model. The multi-interface decoder allows one scanner to support several different interfaces and can connect to various devices.

Barcode scanners are divided into:

• by reading distance - on contact and contactless. Contact scanners read the code when the scanner is brought close to the code (at a distance of 1-2 cm), contactless - from a distance of 10 to 80 cm (depending on model). Contactless scanners provide more convenient work, but are more expensive;
• by reading method - to LED CCD scanners (CCD) and laser. CCD scanners illuminate the surface area containing the barcode using LEDs and read the image onto a special CCD matrix. They have higher mechanical strength (due to the lack of moving parts) and better characteristics when reading damaged (poorly printed) codes. Laser scanners illuminate the bar code with a narrow beam of a laser LED, which is deployed using a rotating mirror. Laser scanners are only non-contact, which is determined by the features of the technology, and have a higher range than CCD scanners;
• according to the installation method - on manual and stationary. A hand-held scanner is a portable device connected via a cord to a computer, cash register or other device - a data receiver. To read the code, it is brought up to the item marked with a barcode. The stationary scanner is mounted on a fixed base. Items with a bar code marking are brought up or served using a conveyor belt to a scanner that reads the bar code and transfers information to the cashier (or computer) via an interface cable.

Fonts and barcode printing software

Barcodes, like text, exist in the form of fonts. True Type barcode fonts have been created for personal computers running on Windows. They are installed in the same way as any other Windows font, can be used in any Windows application and be printed on any printer installed with the Windows driver. Using this method, a barcode can be inserted into any document. The only things to pay attention to are the EAN, UPC, Interleaved 2 of 5 and Code 128 fonts, which are not as simple as they seem. They use check digits, characters are encoded in pairs, special formatting characters are required. For this, special auxiliary programs are used. You determine the information you want to encode. The program formats the text to include additional information. Then the new text should be copied and pasted into the application program using a barcode font. If you use programs that support dynamic link updates (Dynamic Link Libraries, DLL), then it is possible to automate the encoding process.

Similar fonts exist for DOS-applications delivered in the form of resident in RAM (Terminate and Stay Ready, TSR) programs. These applications are harder to use because the barcode data is only visible as text when you create or edit the barcode. And only at the time of sending the print job in a special way, the formatted text is processed by the resident program into a bar code that will be printed.

For printing on a conventional laser, dot matrix or inkjet printer, there are also specialized programs for DOS or Windows. They may contain their own barcode fonts, which, however, are not available to other programs. For Unix systems (mainframe supercomputers), a hardware module is used that contains barcode fonts that connect to the parallel port. A specially formatted text is converted to a barcode when data is sent to the printer.

As in any other branch of modern industry, in metallurgy it is impossible to do without such a very important stage in the production of certain goods as marking. It is thanks to her that it is possible to carry out strict accounting of all products created at the enterprise, and will trace all the movement of goods from production to the warehouse.

It can be done in two ways. Firstly, when marking metals and alloys, hinged labels and self-adhesive labels can be used. Secondly, direct marking on the product can be carried out. Naturally, in metallurgy it is much preferable to use the direct method of labeling, because both labels and labels are not reliable enough.

Direct marking of metals and alloys is carried out using electronic equipment and transmits data such as a barcode, graphic or alphanumeric information.

It is essential in the automotive, aviation and tool manufacturing industries. Certain data on the product and its manufacturer must be present on metal parts, pipes, watches, lamps, etc.

Metals and alloys should be marked in such a way that the applied information does not damage the surface of the product, therefore, when marking metals, it is best to use droplet marking equipment. Marking, made by droplet method, does not cause oxidation and rusting processes on the surface of the product, does not corrode it. Kaplestruynye printers are capable of applying strong, bright, easy to read and durable characters to the metal surface, which are extremely important not only in the process of manufacturing, storage and sale of metal products, but also during their further operation.

For example, in the automotive industry one cannot do without reliable marking of parts due to constantly improving and changing technologies and designs of various materials, parts and assemblies, which entails their subdivision into “old” and “new”. In this case, marking durability plays a very important role , since it is necessary throughout the warranty period to save on the details of all information available at the time of manufacture of the product, changes, both in its technology and in design, as well as about the material and option Those versions of this product.

Droplet inkjet printers can be perfectly used for marking on stainless steel, iron, brass, andromed aluminum and other metals. Typically, the metal marking is a logo, serial number, tabular or barcode.

Modern kaplestruyny marking machines allow you to easily and quickly perform the necessary marking, not only in any conditions, but also at any stage of production and storage of metal products. Using ink jet printers, you can print the necessary information of various heights.

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Details

Any metal products must be personally labeled. It is carried out in two ways:

1.Labels and shortcuts

2. It is applied directly to the product itself. In the second case, the laser is the ideal application equipment. This is a non-contact marking, it does not spoil the surface at all, it can be applied to a metal sheet or to finished products. It has no consumables and is easy to manage.

Today in metallurgy it is impossible to do without labeling, as in other areas of modern production. In any industry, product labeling is a very important production step. Thanks to high-quality marking, strict accounting is carried out for each unit of the product manufactured by the enterprise and control over its movement not only within the enterprise itself, but also during the sale of a particular product.

Marking metal products can be done in two ways.

• 1st method: for labeling products from metals or alloys, self-adhesive labels and hinged labels can be used.
• 2nd method: marking on such products is carried out in a direct way (that is, marking is applied directly to the product itself). It is carried out using laser marking, transferring to the product information such as a bar code, alphanumeric data or graphic images, etc.

It is clear that in metallurgy, of course, it is more expedient to use the second variant of marking, and there are quite adequate explanations for this. Labeling on labels and labels is not reliable: it is erased, it can be easily faked, etc., therefore, almost all large enterprises use the direct method to label their products.

Application of laser marking of metal in industry

The marking of metal products is extremely important and necessary, for example, in industries such as the aviation industry, the automotive industry, in the manufacture of various tools, on pipes, watches and so on. Such metal products must be marked, otherwise tracking, proper assembly and implementation will be impossible.

Laser Marking Process

As a rule, in industry products from metals and alloys are marked in a non-contact manner (that is, without touching the product itself). Thus, when marking the metal surface of the product, the top layer of material is removed. The marking made by this method is durable and does not oxidize or rust completely. Laser markers allow you to apply strong, bright, non-erasable, easy to read information to metal products, which is extremely important not only in the manufacture, storage and sale of metal products, but also during their further operation.

What metals can be marked

The laser marker can be successfully used for marking stainless steel, iron, brass, androded aluminum and other metal alloys. As a rule, metal marking is a logo, serial number, barcode, batch number. Modern laser marking machines make it possible to quickly and fairly easily carry out marking absolutely in any conditions of the enterprise, as well as at any production stage of the manufacture and storage of metal products.

Due to constantly changing and improving production technologies, for example, in the automotive industry, reliable and high-quality marking of parts cannot be dispensed with, since the design features of various parts and assemblies change every year. As a rule, this entails the separation of products into “new” and “old”, thus, the most important role for production is assigned to the durability of marking. Because during the warranty period it is necessary to save on the details information about all the products available at the time of production, changes in design and technology, as well as about the material and manufacturing option for a particular product.

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Drawing a bar code, QR and Datamatrix code has become so widespread that there are practically no areas in which it is not used. They are used everywhere, from the library to the aerospace industry, and are designed to perform completely different tasks.

Industrial products are labeled for easy reference and subsequent history tracking. Laser barcodes are widely used in the food industry. Such industries as souvenir, automotive and machine tool industry are not far behind. Museums and other cultural institutions use the application of QR codes and barcodes for independent tours.

The application of a bar code or QR code on products in the LaserFor laser marker software is almost completely automated. The operator only needs to select the encoding standard and enter the data that needs to be encoded. In practice, this takes only a few minutes.

Drawing a bar code on the professional equipment.

The most popular equipment for applying a barcode to metal and other materials are models and. These are the most reliable and ergonomic machines with more than 15 years of service life. At the same time, you can easily use them for other purposes, developing new areas of your business.

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To apply the barcode, several technologies are used.

The most common and inexpensive printing on self-adhesive materials is a sheet of self-adhesive labels or on a roll of self-adhesive labels.

Printing with a laser or inkjet printer on self-adhesive label sheets is done like regular office printing. Barcodes, both linear and 2D, are generated by accounting software or graphic editors. Using a copy machine, you can print large quantities of labels with barcodes, but applying a sheet label to a product or packaging is a rather time-consuming operation.

You can simplify the application using roll materials and applicators. Printing on roll labels using a thermal or thermal transfer label printer. Printing on labels in rolls allows you to print large runs, print information and apply labels with bar codes to products using manual or automatic applicators. Roll materials are represented by a wide range of products: thermo-eco, thermo-top, paper, polypropylene, metallized polypropylene, PET tags and PET loops, nylon ribbons, satin ribbons.

To apply a bar code to plastic cards, plastic card printers are used. Plastic cards themselves can be delivered in various options: white, with preliminary black-and-white or full-color printing. Depending on the task, a barcode can be applied to each card separately (for a pass-through) or print run (for a discount).

Application of a barcode using a ink jet printer. It is used for marking boxes and applying a barcode on the packaging. It is used for marking boxes, applying a bar code to packaging, as well as plastic and metal pipes, metal, plywood, and packaging film.

When applying a barcode using a ink jet printer, it is very important to observe the conditions: the surface must be smooth, the speed of movement along the conveyor constant and not very high. You can apply a barcode to almost any material, but not all materials and products will be read by a scanner - many materials glare. On flat and smooth surfaces, linear and 2D codes are applied perfectly.

Direct metal marking and barcode printing by impact marking or drawing - DPM.

To print barcodes and text information on film roll materials, specialized built-in thermal transfer printers can be used. The solution is built into the conveyor or packaging line, can operate in two modes - continuous feed of material or start-stop mode.

When manually packing products, it is advantageous to use a workstation based on 1C :. In addition to weighing or counting products, the system provides data exchange and reporting for the central 1C: Enterprise database.