Take steps to ensure your bar code products make the grade
By Stacey Wenzel
Bar code products continue to be a profitable niche. As a result, customers are becoming more demanding of the quality of the bar codes. According to Don Pistilli, OEM and national accounts sales manager for BST PROMARK, located in Elmhurst, Ill., research shows that this approach is a more effective means of evaluating the true quality of bar codes than hand, pen or laser scanners.
"Verifying the readability and quality of a bar code as it is printed is crucial," said Pistilli. He explained that one of the many standards for bar codes is set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI standards ensure the codes meet quality levels by assigning them grade levels.
Each code is evaluated for minimum reflectance, symbol contrast, edge determination, modulation, decodeability, defects and quiet zones. Each code is assigned an overall ANSI grade, per the ANSI specification. The grade levels follow the academic grading scale of A through F, with A meaning the code is superior and F meaning the code has failed. "ANSI sets stringent standards," Pistilli said. "The minimum level accepted by most customers is a C."
Quality Control
BST PROMARK manufactures bar code inspection programs as an option for their Pro Scan® Eagle video web inspection system. This option compares real-time printed codes against an acceptable (user-defined) quality standard.
Each code sampled is scanned, and as many as 400,000 pixels of data are evaluated against the established bar code standard. The program scans as many as 300 lines of each bar code sampled--analyzing up to 100 percent of the bar code.
The system, which is capable of monitoring UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN and Interleaved 2 of 5 codes printed either horizontally or vertically, provides immediate feedback to press operators on the percent of the bar code that is scannable, the grade level of the code (if ANSI standards are used), quiet zone readings, bar growth indicators and contrast percentage readings.
When a bar code is found to fall outside the acceptable quality levels, the system will alert operators and show where the problem bar code is located on the repeat. Necessary adjustments can be made on-the-fly to ensure bar code quality and consistency.
According to Pistilli, some benefits of the Video Web Inspection system include
Waste Reduction. Users report reducing waste as much as 46 percent. Optimized productivity. The number and quality of impressions produced by the press is maximized.
Reduction or elimination of re-runs. Eliminating just one re-run could generate enough savings to justify purchasing the system.
Improved print quality. Streaking, scumming, hickeys, voids, chalking, halation, moire and fill-in can now be controlled and reduced. Monitoring dot structure and anilox fill-in is also possible. The monitoring of bar code print quality, color-to-color registration, embossed areas, die cut location and perforation registration to the print and to the substrate area are available. These adjustments can all be made at full-press speed.
Faster press speeds. Video inspection gives you confidence in the quality of work coming off the press, so you can run your press at full speed all the time.
Shorter set-up time. Jobs come online and into registration so much faster when you are looking at the printed image magnified 20 times on a 13" monitor, rather than using the naked eye to watch the web as it flies by at hundreds of feet per minute.
Simplified press operation. Users buy video web inspection systems because it makes the press operator's job easier.
Color control and matching. With split screen capability, job-to-job and roll-to-roll color comparison is now a reality.
Bar code software offered by BST PROMARK includes automatic bar code monitoring and automatic bar code monitoring with ANSI grading. They are both powerful optional features for the ProScan Eagle video inspection system and enable the press operators to monitor and measure the quality of bar codes as they are printed.
- People:
- Don Pistilli