Direct Part Marking (DPM) Explained
While most barcodes you come across are printed on a label or paper-packaging of a product, in the manufacturing world and work-in-process applications many parts or components need to be marked with a barcode directly. Direct Part Marking is a process that allows users to mark a barcode directly on an item instead of printing the barcode on a label.
There are 3 main technologies available for DPM: laser or chemical etching, dot peening and ink jet printing. Each of these has specific advantages and disadvantages in terms of durability, cost and ease of reading. The main advantages of codes with DPM technology are that the code is permanently marked on a surface and will survive for a long time (ideally forever), regardless of the stress the part is passing through during its’ life cycle. The main reasons to choose codes with DPM technology are:
- Items that need to pass through harsh testing processes (chemicals agents, thermal cycles, oil, moisture, etc.)
- Items that need to be tracked during their entire life cycle
- Very small items (difficult to label)
DPM technology was first adopted mainly by the automotive and general mechanical industries. Currently, the popularity of codes using DPM technology has spread into different sectors including electronics, chemicals and healthcare industries.
Introducing Datalogic’s Powerscan DPM Imagers – PD9530-DPM and PD8590-DPM
Datalogic has introduced a new family of handheld area imagers specifically designed for applications based on codes printed with Direct Part Marking (DPM) technology. This new PowerScan family is a blend of the Datalogic experience with optical systems, hardware architecture, mechanical design and decoding software. Two different models are available allowing the customers to choose the best price/performance combination for their specific needs.
The PD9530-DPM imager has a standard illumination system and bases its reading capability on the decoding software. This imager offers great performance on a wide set of bar code types, but does not cover all DPM situations.
The PD8590-DPM imager is a highly specialized scanner with a multi-axis illumination system specifically designed for reading DPM technology. The reading performance relies on the combination of the decoding software and the illumination system. This imager can read all types of bar codes printed with DPM technology regardless of the type of surface involved.
Aim. trigger. decode: it’s that simple!
