Most materials easily meet the first criterion. Materials to be wary of include clear materials and extremely shiny materials, such as polished stainless steel. Even in these materials, Bumpy Bar Codes may be usable if the surface can be roughened to a matte finish. Contact a Mecco Application Engineer before proceeding with difficult materials. Almost all materials can be formed into Bumpy Bar Codes, but some can be impractical because of the time required or because of the hardness of the material.
Some processes require adjusting the Bumpy Bar Code dimensions to achieve a readable bar code.
For example, in applications such as metal casting where the surface texture is rough, the depth and width of the bars must be much larger than the surface roughness so that the reader can distinguish the code from the surface. Bumpy Bar Codes can be formed by any process which results in a readable code. Some examples of this are molding, casting, embossing, chemical etching, laser engraving, stamping, indent marking, and milling. This table lists some typical materials and the types of processes which are appropriate for creating Bumpy Bar Codes in them.