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Track & Trace Sensitive Materials with Barcom
March 26, 2020Maintaining quality control with real-time information right down to lot level and item level detail allows for better overall management and quality of inventory assets, not to mention protection of...
Meet Our New Solutions Partner, High-Mark Systems
March 13, 2020High performance & high standards – a solutions provider for...
Meet Our New Solutions Partner, CCS
March 13, 2020Global leader in LED lighting solutions for machine vision applications
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Coronavirus & Your Business: Let Us Help You
March 3, 2020With the justifiable concerns about COVID-19 and its global impact on travel and overall commerce, it is understandable that many are rethinking their plans to attend trade shows and exhibitions. If you decided to forego traveling to the various shows that are scheduled around the world that focus on material...
More New & Notable
Watch AutoBeat Group’s Interview of Jeff Hall @ Omron Automation
AutoBeat Group interviewed Jeff Hall of Omron Automation on innovative and scaling solutions for the automotive industry.
Nursing Point-of-Care Solutions from Code
Medication errors have been identified as one of the largest safety issues in healthcare.
Wide Area Coordinate Measuring from Keyence
New from Keyence: the WM Series Wide Area Coordinate Measuring Machine
New From Balluff: Magnetic Encoder with Siemens DRIVE-CLiQ Interface
The BML SGA absolute magnetic encoder stands out in applications where absolute accuracy of position and end-of-travel is required.
MODEX 2020 Special Tradeshow Coverage @ RoboticsTomorrow
The RoboticsTomorrow Special Tradeshow report aims to bring you news, articles and products from this year’s events.
Leadership, Workflow, & Illumination | New & Notable | Feb. 20, 2020
Learn about forums and networking opportunities at MODEX 2020, workflow management, and precision lighting.
New & Notable: Mark Your Calendar | Feb. 13, 2020
Several important industry shows are coming up, giving you the chance to learn about and connect with vendors and solutions providers. These events each have hundreds of exhibitors, and some exhibitors are at some shows but not others…figuring out which shows you should attend and who to see at those shows can be downright exhausting. Let Global Automation & Identification Group help. Contact us today to discuss your company’s vision and needs, and we can guide you through which shows are worth your time and effort, and which exhibitors you should connect with. Modex 2020 | March 9 – 12 | Atlanta MODEX 2020 will allow you to make new contacts, discover cutting-edge solutions, and learn the latest trends that are sure to give you a leg up on the competition. Show Info ATX East | June 9 – 11 | New York Automation Technology Expo (ATX) East — part of the region’s largest advanced design and manufacturing event — connects professionals from companies such as Microsoft, IBM, and Lockheed Martin with the latest technologies and insights in components, custom machines, controllers, pick-and-place, software, and more. Show Info 2020 AACC Clinical Lab Expo | July 26 – 30 | Chicago With more than 800 companies exhibiting, the 2020 AACC Clinical Lab Expo is the world’s largest exposition for clinical laboratory products and services. Show Info IMTS 2020 | September 14 – 19 | Chicago IMTS 2020 will be the 33rd edition of the premier manufacturing technology show in North America. Show Info PACK EXPO International | November 8 – 11 | Chicago PACK EXPO International and Healthcare Packaging EXPO attendees come from all vertical industries—consumer packaged goods (CPG) and industrial goods included—and from 132 countries around the world! Show Info Subscribe to New & Notable Sign-up to receive our weekday posts in your inbox. We will share your e-mail with nobody.
New & Notable: Who to See @ Modex 2020, Fossil + iTrace Combats Product Diversion, Inventory Tracking by Barcom | Feb. 10, 2020
An announcement from iTRACE, a question from Mecco, and an introduction to Barcom
New & Notable: ID Integration, High-Mark, & 1stVision | Feb. 6, 2020
FOLLOW US & SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKDAY POSTS Recently Posted by ID Integration, Inc. Look to the Cloud for Groundbreaking RFID Asset Tracking Solutions For those new to RFID technology, ID Integration, Inc. has a good overview of what it is, what can be done with it, and some implementation examples. Read the Blog Post About ID Integration, Inc. ID Integration, Inc. provides all the products and services for ensuring that parts are compliant with government and aerospace labeling requirements. Their experts stay current with the latest MIL Spec 130 IUID, ATA Spec 2000, and FDA UID rules for marking, labeling, verification, and submission of parts. Read More About ID Integration, Inc. Auto ID and Vision Systems from High-Mark Systems Ensure you have quality in every step of your process. High-Mark Systems can identify defects efficiently, verify and collect data, track and trace and provide quality-related information for any part, label or package. Our experience and innovation can help integrate a solution into your existing processes. Learn More White Paper from 1stVision Inc.: Considerations for Color machine vision cameras using a Bayer filter Users of single chip color machine vision cameras have lots of choices in camera features. The following are a few issues relating to these types of cameras that users need to be aware of when they are choosing their camera type. Read the White Paper About 1stVision Inc. Specializing in machine vision and automated imaging applications, 1stVision offers extensive expertise to solve your most challenging automated vision applications. Read More About 1stVision Inc. Subscribe to New & Notable Sign-up to receive our weekday posts in your inbox. We will share your e-mail with nobody.
New & Notable: Modex 2020, Something to Chew On, & CCS | Feb. 5, 2020
An announcement from iTRACE, a question from Mecco, and an introduction to Barcom
New & Notable: iTRACE, Mecco, & BarCom | Feb. 4, 2020
An announcement from iTRACE, a question from Mecco, and an introduction to Barcom
In-Vitro Diagnostics & Lab Automation
It is not without reason that the safety requirements for in-vitro diagnostics are extremely high: this lab work involves human samples. Extremely strict specifications apply here and there is no tolerance for error. Pre-Analytic Instruments To ensure the sample integrity, as well as for hygiene and safety reasons, automatic sample distributors are used increasingly in the preparation for analysis. These ensure the reliable and fast preparation and assignment of the chaotically delivered samples, independent of the number of samples and, above all, avoid cross contamination. IVD Analyzers Modern analysis procedures for examining fluids or tissue are now highly automated, thereby allowing processes to be performed very efficiently and safely. Zero tolerance is essential here both during the handling as well as during the assignment of the samples to respective patient. Automation Modules For complex analyses, samples need to be transported between various machines. This networking of the analyzers is increasingly being performed with the use of mini, compact conveying belts and handling robots. The individual samples must be moved quickly, safely and reliably and must also be detected and assigned without error. Furthermore, gapless traceability of the sampling path must be ensured Conclusion In addition to these issues, there is also the requirement for traceability through the storage process, which may involve temperatures of -80 degrees. In order to assure that all of processes are controlled and tracked, state of the art sensor technology is a necessity.
Direct Part Marking: Selecting the Right Technology
Printing 1D bar codes has been a fact of life for well over 40 years. It became most recognizable in 1974 with the implementation of UPC system that we see on almost every product that we buy. The ability to mark a machine readable code directly on a part or component, however, has been more recent in development. While marking human readable information on parts has been available for over 100 years, marking 1D, 2D, and other codes, with high readability rates, has been a challenge. DPM is now a requirement for most successful traceability application. Automotive, aerospace, health sciences, electronics, semi-conductor, and many others, all depend on DPM to ensure production effectiveness, lifetime traceability, security, and quality. In addition, DPM allows for robust anti-counterfeiting and diversion programs. In some industries, certain DPM methods are specified in industry standards. The main technologies for DPM are: Ink Jet Chemical Etch Dot Peen Laser (etching and annealing) With many years working directly on DPM applications, Global Automation and Identification Group has the experience and expertise to assist you with selecting the appropriate method for any application and one that complies with any associated industry standard.
Anti-Diversion and Anti-Counterfeiting
For thousands of years, counterfeiting has been a problem. In the past this was mainly aimed at forms of currency, particularly when it was man made, such as coins. Today, counterfeiting extends beyond currency to products, especially high volume and high-ticket items. The industries that seem to be the most attractive for counterfeiters are automotive/aerospace, luxury items (high end watches, etc.), pharmaceuticals, and fashion apparel. It is estimated that the current economic loss caused by counterfeit products approaches $1 trillion. While much of the damage is purely economic, products such as bogus aerospace parts and pharmaceuticals have tragic consequences. Examples of efforts to use technology to detect counterfeit products, and product diversion from authorized channels, are in the fashion industry and in aerospace, specifically spare parts. The first example involves a leader in denim apparel. Over thirty years ago, this company, suffering from significant sales losses due to counterfeiting, implemented a process that tracked every single garment from point of manufacture. The method they employed involved looking at the fiber makeup of each that was attached to the garment. This process was extremely accurate and did result in a large increase in counterfeit and diversion detection. However, the technology was very time consuming and expensive. Another example is aerospace. In 1954 SPEC 100 was implemented in the aerospace industry with the intent to track spare parts and provide a common form of documentation that would allow manufacturers and airlines to have more accurate information for parts acquisition and tracking. In the late 1990’s, SPEC 100 was replaced by SPEC 2000. This new specification incorporates machine readable codes, specifically 2D data matrix, in order to meet fiscal requirements of the spec and to provide a very accurate method for track and trace. The liability of counterfeit failure, product remarking and product diversion is an increasing problem for industrial equipment companies. Their reputation is on the line with every component sold. A large multinational electrical-equipment manufacturer has for years channeled substantial resources into fighting gray-market and counterfeit products, often via litigation. Recently the company adopted a preemptive strategy based on making counterfeiting more difficult and illicit supply chains easier to trace. Today, counterfeiting and diversion have grown to extreme levels. This, and the desire to protect a wider range of products requires new technologies and methods. Having been involved in anticounterfeiting and anti-diversion projects for over thirty years, I have looked into many of the solutions currently available. In my opinion, the very best is the technology provided by iTrace Technologies ( www.itracetech.com ). iTrace uses a proprietary symbology that is able to be marked and read in a space as small as 100 microns. It allows for billions of item/part numbers and is even more accurate than Data Matrix ECC200. One of iTRACE Technologies’ clients, a global design, marketing, and distribution company specializing in consumer fashion accessories, suspected product diversion was occurring within their distribution channels. Proof was hard to come by and the losses were hard to estimate, and the client needed an effective brand protection solution that would seamlessly fit into their production environment and development cycles. iTrace’s solution has been protecting this client products for over 10 years, and working together they have identified the sources of diversion, cut off product supply to violators, prevented future diversion, and protected and boosted Fossil’s revenue streams across 17 brands. For more information, I invite you to contact Global automation and Identification Group or ITrace directly: www.itracetech.com
Traceability in Aerospace
Since 1954, the aerospace industry has been working on programs and methods for tracking parts for aircraft and power plant assemblies. This started with Spec 100 and was refined with the release of Spec 2000. The objective of these standards is to provide “cradle to grave” traceability for critical components, including LRU’s (line replaceable units). Another goal is to track availability of spare parts, on a global basis. In the case of traceability, there is the need to know the pedigree of parts in the case of a component failure, the results of which may be very tragic. This traceability allows investigators and manufacturers to identify the source of a failed component, track other parts that may be at risk, and take the necessary actions to prevent additional failures. During the manufacturing process of the engines, most, if not all, of the individual parts are marked with 2D symbol, typically datamatrix ECC200. The goal is twofold. One is the issue of traceability, as previously mentioned. The second is for the assembly process. By reading the 2D mark it is possible to track and assure that the correct part is installed in the proper position. An example of the results of a misplaced part is when the engine is run on the test stand. If the engine does not meet all of the stringent test criteria, it must be disassembled and rebuilt. The cost of this procedure may surpass $1M. Finally, traceability allows a carrier and or the engine supplier to identify and locate spare line replaceable parts in order to keep a plane flying. Engine suppliers and carriers only make money while the plane is engines are running and their planes are flying. With the ability to locate a required spare part, anywhere in the world, the amount of down time due to a failed part may be significantly reduced. The symbology used in marking all of the thousands of parts on an aircraft and engine is DataMatrix ECC200. This symbology is one of the most error proof available. The methods for marking depend on the part being marked and range from ink jet to dot peen and laser.