3D Barcodes (Direct Part Marking or DPM)
A brief explanation of 3D barcodes - what they are and how they are used.
In recent years manufacturing companies have been trying to implement a barcoding system similar to the barcodes for purchases and the retail industry. The only problem is that in manufacturing there are high temperatures, extremely solvents being used, as well as a wealth of chemicals and processes that inhibit the use of a label with bars on it. The manufacturers need to identify individual parts and not just the entire batch as it has been done for years. They wished to improve their inventory and tracking system - and have done so through the use of 3D barcodes.
3D barcodes use the same basic principle as linear and 2D barcodes. An image of some sort is applied to a product and then read by a device to log, categorize, inventory, or track an individual product. As previously stated, the manufacturers need a more permanent solution than a label or sticker. The 3D barcode is engraved or applied to the product itself as a part of the manufacturing process. The bars are not read by variances in reflected light as with linear barcodes but by determining the height of each line. The time it takes the laser to bounce back and be recorded determines the height as a function of distance and time and the character represented by the code can be interpreted.
http://www.barcodesinc.com/articles/3d-barcodes.htm
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