Challenge
Verify barcodes marked directly onto metal, medical devices.
Solution
Verification kit including Cognex DMV-475VS-DPM, external lighting, fixture, and cabling.
Story
Traceability is a necessity in the medical industry. Effectively tracking products and components throughout their lifetime is vital for patient safety, issuing effective recalls, and quality control. Part of ensuring effective traceability is verifying that the product information is marked correctly at the time of production before it enters the supply chain. This product information typically gets encoded as a barcode on the product. To check that the barcode is readable and conforms to industry standards, manufacturers rely on barcode verification.
A dental device manufacturer was using direct part mark (DPM) barcodes on its products, but their existing barcode verifiers were not performing well. These DPM barcodes are minimal in size and often marked on a curved metallic surface due to the nature of the product, making barcode verification challenging. The dental manufacturer had a long-time relationship with EMP, so when Cognex released a new DPM verifier, the EMP account manager knew it was precisely the product they needed.
EMP completed initial testing with the new verifier at its facilities. The DPM verifier performed very well on the dental products but needed a fixture to present the products at a consistent angle. The customer used their 3D printing capabilities to design a fixture for each product. After finalizing the fixture’s design, the customer ordered one system for their facility. The system worked so well for the customer they recently purchased two more verification kits from EMP. Ensuring each barcode can be quickly verified has saved the customer significant time and money.
If you are looking to improve your barcode verification process, contact the experts at EMP today!
