2d bar code Archives - AUTOMATION INSIGHTS

QR Codes for Business vs Industry

In a previous post I discussed the different types of bar codes. Aside from the 1D bar codes that we see in the grocery store, the most common type of bar code today is the QR code.

The QR code was 1st designed for the automotive industry to track vehicles in the assembly process. The QR code system became popular outside the automotive industry due to its greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC bar codes. A QR code can have up to 7,089 ASCII characters and can read numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, and kanji. Businesses often use this type of QR code on vehicles and products for advertising. When a picture is taken with a cell phone, typically in a QR code reader app, the user will be taken to a website for more information.

Sharpshooter vision sensor for reading micro & QR codes

Micro QR codes, on the other hand, have a limitation of 35 digits of numeric characters. These are usually seen in industrial applications. For example, they are seen on cam shafts, crankshafts, pistons, and circuit boards. An example of data that is often written to a micro QR code would be a serial number to track and trace through an assembly plant. An industrial vision sensor is typically needed to decipher micro QR codes.

ILoveBalluffQRCodes — An example of a QR code (left) vs a micro QR code (right)

For more information visit www.balluff.us.

Isn’t a bar code just a bar code?

Bar codes are normally read via a red line laser scanner, or a camera with decoding and positioning software.

There are 3 main types of bar codes.

1D (one dimensional), 2D (two dimensional) and a different type of 2D code is QR (Quick response) codes that we use today.

Each code has a little different attribute and how it’s read.

1D bar codes are the ladder line bar codes you typically see in a grocery store, on merchandise and packaging.

While there are many different types of 1D bar codes and how they decipher a code the appearance is typically like the picture below.

A 2D Data Matrix code is much smaller than a 1D and can hold quite a bit more information. They can actually hold up to 2,335 alphanumeric characters.

There is redundancy built into the code, in case the code is scratched or defaced.

The code below is an example of a 2D Data Matrix code.

The code is read by utilizing a camera and decoding / positioning software.

A QR Code can hold more information than a Data Matrix code.

It can decipher numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary and kanji.

While it was 1st developed for the automotive industry tracking parts during vehicle manufacturing, it is typically linked to a website when the code is scanned with a camera in a cell phone.

An example of the QR Code is pictured below.

The code is read by utilizing a camera and decoding / positioning software.

There are various types of vision sensors that can be used to read different types of bar codes. You can learn more on Balluff’s website at www.balluff.us/vision.

Heading to Fabtech? Read this first.

Balluff has the opportunity to share some of the company’s proven Error-Proofing Techniques in a Seminar at Fabtech on November 14, 2011 in McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The session is segmented into two areas:

Automated/Robotic Weld Cell Process Improvement. We continue to see a great deal of need in this arena. When the economy tanked in 2007/2008, many companies inside and outside of the Automotive Industry were on the edge and many good, talented people were let go. In some cases, the people whose jobs were eliminated had many years of experience in maintenance and in manufacturing engineering. When volumes of work came back, so did the problems associated with weld cell nesting, Poka-Yoke, clamp sensing because of loading impact, weld debris hostility and other issues related to peripheral sensing devices in weld cells; in many cases, without the experienced personnel to reduce time in consumption used to address a wide range of problems. In this session, we will discuss and provide examples of proven techniques aimed squarely at these productivity and time-wasting problems that will return significant ROI for many customers.

Continue reading “Heading to Fabtech? Read this first.”