Important Factors to a Successful Barcode Project
Important Factors to a Successful Barcode Project
Timely and accurate information are very important in making the right business decisions. Business managers have always included in their business plans the tools and manpower to provide such crucial information in order to survive in the highly competitive world of business. Currently, barcode labels are widely used in various businesses as tools to efficiently and accurately provide essential information about their products and services.
Before a new barcode system is introduced into any business, there should be an evaluation to determine the most appropriate one. Among the factors to be considered are: the environmental condition on the place of use and the data collection or scanning method. For instance, will you need a portable or long distance scanner? Unless you are knowledgeable about the various devices in a barcode labeling system, it is a must to test them before making the final choices.
Conditions to Evaluate Prior to Choosing a Barcode System
1. High Low Temperature Levels - Barcode labels are printed on printed on materials with pressure sensitive adhesive backing. The adhesive is made from heat-sensitive thermoplastic materials. Heat softens and melts some components, making them flow out and moving the label along to change position from where it was originally stuck. At higher heat levels, the barcode image may get distorted which may cause to faulty data when scanned. Continuous exposure even to lower heat may also affect the material of the label as well. It is therefore to know the environmental temperature where the barcode will be used and find the appropriate labels.
On the other hand, cold temperatures may also prevent good, reliable adhesion of any label to the item. There are special types of barcode labels for cold surfaces and environmental temperatures, such as labels with Freezer Grade Adhesives, which is suitable for temperatures up to 10 degrees F.
2. Illumination - Bright Lights have unfavorable effect on barcode scanners. Barcode labels with shiny surfaces bounces off bright lights and it can result to a faulty scanner performance. If the place is so well lighted, it is advisable to use labels with dull or matte finish because less light intensity is reflected. The other options are to use dimmer lights in the room or protect the scanner against bright-light reflections by putting an overhang over it.
3. Outdoor Conditions - Not all barcode labels can withstand theharsher outdoor conditions. If the barcode labels will be subjected to external environmental conditions, then they must be made of more durable materials such as polyester and acrylic adhesives. To provide more protection and to prolong the barcode labels' lifespan, repeated lamination with films that can screen UV rays will do the job.
4. Resistance to Scratches - If the barcode label has a high risk of being scratched, metallic labels are recommended. Other materials that are considered scratch-proof include polyester variants like polypropylene, Teflon, Kapton, as well as laminating materials such as polyamides and Teflon.
5. Sensitivity to Humidity and Moisture - Moisture and other liquids can damage print and reduce the adhesion strength of barcode labels. Adding a laminated top layer is one way to protect the labels. Other harmful liquids include solvents, cleaning agents or chemicals, grease and oil. Solvents, after dissolving some components of the adhesive on the labels' backing, weaken the strength of the labels' adhesion to the item's surface.
Direct contact with chemicals like cleaning agents may likewise cause damage to the adhesive backing as well s to the durability of the label itself. The possible presence of harmful chemicals must be verified in order to provide appropriate actions that would prevent any related problem in the future.
6. Surface Condition - The kind of surface where the barcode label will be attached on is of vital importance whether a reliable adhesion between the two surfaces can be achieved or not. For example, on corrugated or patterned surfaces, acceptable bonding is difficult to achieve. Likewise, plastics because of its reduced area energy do not bond well with adhesives. Such irregular surfaces need special adhesive labels.
7. Scanning requirements - There are different kinds of barcode scanners and using the right one is required to get the best results. It is important to know the kind of operation on which the scanner will be used. For example, close range scanners should not be expected to provide the same results if used to scan barcodes at distances greater than its indicated capability. Aside from the scanning distance, the viewing angle also affects the scanning results.
8. Barcode symbology - While majority of advanced scanners currently available, such as the RFID and 2D readers, are designed to read multiple symbologies, it is very important to make sure that an easy to read symbology is selected for the application.
9. Barcode Size and Density - Barcode sizes are usually limited by the space available for it to stick on. So, the need for small barcodes to store large amounts of information is becoming a problem, like in the electronics and telecommunications industry where there are many small items. It is important to know the barcode requirements so that new scanners equipped with the technology to scan smaller or narrower barcodes with ease can be chosen.
ANSI standards also require a Quiet Zone Space for accurate scanning and interpretation of barcodes. The quiet zone, the white space of at " minimum on each of the bar code's sides is important to properly interpret the bar code.
10. Barcode Verification- This is an important quality control test in applications that requires barcode printing on site whenever needed. The high standards and efficiency expected from barcodes should be consistently maintained otherwise they will not only be useless, they will also create a lot of trouble with the erroneous readings obtained. Barcode errors in warehousing, retail and other commercial applications many trigger numerous complaints as well penalty charges from users.
11. Manpower skills and training- The availability of proper training is a must to develop theknowledge and skills of the staff operating the devices of the barcode system. Only properly trained personnel can be expected to use barcode equipment accurately and efficiently as well as properly store or file the information obtained.
It is only by evaluating a proposed barcode system against these various parameters of barcodes can an appropriate system be chosen and successfully implemented.
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