Markingmethods Marking Methods Paper

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Automotive Industry

Application White Paper

Electrochemical Etch: This process uses a low voltage

current to mark the object

surface. This is commonly used for low volume product

runs.

Ink Jet: This type of marking uses small, dots sprayed

directly onto the surface. Ink jet produces high contrast

marks. Ink jet is not considered a permanent marking

method.

Laser Etch: Lasers etch the symbol directly onto a sur-

face. Clean, high resolution marks are

produced making laser-etch well-suited for automated

environments.

Dot Peen: Dot peen is a percussive marking method, us-

ing changes in depth to create marks.

Dot peen is recommended for applications where the

symbol must last the entire life cycle.

On the following pages, a wide range of marking methods

are discussed, including advantages and disadvantages.

1

Assessing Your Application

Since each application is at least somewhat unique,

you should know the answers to the following questions

before selecting a marking method: what type and how

much data will you need to encode, how much real es-

tate is available for the symbol, is symbol permanency a

concern and who will be using the information.

Many Marking Methods Are Available

There are many methods to directly mark objects.

Selecting the best method for the application is critical

to achieving success. Each method has its own advan-

tages and limitations. Since each method has its own

advantages and limitations, it is important to review and

experiment with as many methods as possible before

selecting the best one for your application.

While the overall concept of product tracking is not

new, the automated tracking of products down to

the individual part and component level has proven

to have great bottom-line impact. The most direct

way to ensure complete quality control of the pro-

duction process is to mark objects with a machine-

readable symbols and track them through the entire

life cycle.

Review and Selection of Direct Part Marking Methods

Product Line Card

Automotive Industry

Application White Paper

2 Review and Selection of Direct Part Marking Methods

Ink Jet on substrate

Marking Method Description Advantages

& Disadvantages

Laser etch on

silk screen

High contrast, square & round

element shape

Application:

- Electronics

Advantage:

- Good contrast

- No consumables

- Permanent

Disadvantage:

- Displaces surface

- Process creates debris

Ink jet on plastic High or low contrast,

round element shape

Application:

- Bio-science

- Pharmaceuticals

- Packaging

Advantage:

- Limited damage to surface

Disadvantage:

- Higher cost consumables

- Not permanent

- Bleeding can affect mark quality

Advantage:

- Low-entry cost

- High speed

- Easy to read if contrast is good

Disadvantage:

- Not considered permanent by

some industry standards

- Dot registration can vary

- Higher cost consumables

- Mark quality dependant on

surface cleanliness

- Dif cult to read if contrast poor

Contrast levels vary widely, round

element shape

Application:

- Post-packaging

- Warehousing

- Automotive

Pre-printed packaging Typically high contrast,

square element shape

Application:

- Product labeling

- Product packaging

- Document processing

Advantage:

- Economical

- High speed

- Good contrast

- Easy to read

Disadvantage:

- Less  exibility

Thermal transfer

label stock

High contrast, typically black on

white label stock, square element

shape

Application:

- Product labeling

- Packaging

- WIP tracking, various industries

Advantage:

- High contrast

- Low-entry cost

- Easy to read

Disadvantage:

- Not permanent

- Higher cost: consumables

Automotive Industry

Application White Paper

Marking Method Description Advantages

& Disadvantages

Thermal print on

foil packaging

Typically good contrast,

square element shape

Application:

- Pharmaceutical Packaging

Advantage:

- Economical

Disadvantage:

- Re ective nature of marking

method may require additional lighting

- Deformation of surface may

affect readability of code

Ink jet on glass Good contrast, round element shape

Application:

- Pharmaceutical Packaging

- Clinical R&D

- Electronics

Advantage:

- High contrast

- Low entry cost

- Limited damage to surface

Disadvantage:

- Not permanent

- Bleeding can affect mark quality

Laser etch on metal Low contrast, square element shape

Application:

- Electronics

- Automotive

- Aerospace

- DOD

- Medical device

Advantage:

- Permanent

- No consumables

- High quality mark

Disadvantage:

- Process creates debris

- Affects surface of substrate

Laser etch on

glass epoxy

Medium contrast, square element

shape

Application:

- Electronics

Advantage:

- Permanent

- No consumables

- High quality mark

Disadvantage:

- Process creates debris

- Lack of contrast; dif cult to read

- Affects surface of substrate

Chem etch on metal Typically medium contrast, square

element shape

Application:

- Electronics

- Semiconductor

- DOD

- Aerospace

- Medical device

Advantage:

- Permanent

- High quality mark

- No debris from process

Disadvantage:

- Potentially toxic material

byproduct

- Low-volume use only

3 Review and Selection of Direct Part Marking Methods

Product Line Card

Automotive Industry

Application White Paper

4

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Chem etch on silicon Typically medium contrast,

square element shape

Application:

- Semiconductor

Advantage:

- Permanent

- High quality mark

- No debris from process

Disadvantage:

- Potentially toxic material byproduct

- Potentially complex process

Dot peen on smooth,

highly refl ective metal

Low contrast, dependant on differ-

ence in depth to create light and

dark elements. Round or square

element shape, dependant on

shape of stylus

Application:

- Automotive

- Aerospace

- DOD

Advantage:

- Permanent

- No consumables

Disadvantage:

- Alters surface

- Low contrast mark

- More dif cult to read

- Inconsistent depth will create

smaller elements

- Background noise

Dot peen on

textured metal

Low contrast, dependant on differ-

ence in depth to create light and

dark elements. Round or square

element shape, dependant on

shape of stylus

Application:

- Automotive

- Aerospace

- DOD

Advantage:

- Permanent

- No consumables

Disadvantage:

- Alters surface

- Low contrast mark

- Very dif cult to read, due to high

degree of surface noise created

by texture

Marking Method Description Advantages

& Disadvantages

Laser etch on rubber

Very low contrast, square or round

element shape

Application:

- Automotive

Advantage:

- Permanent

- No consumables

Disadvantage:

- Process creates debris

- Affects surface of substrate