Have you ever had a look into the electronic circuit that makes up the brain of gadgets such as your television set or the computer system? Well, such a complicated unit consisting of millions and billions of micro-sized chips never stops to bewilder us. However, for industry-insiders, differentiating a set of apparently identical chips from one another is a cakewalk, thanks to the series of codes inscribed on them. If you place any electronic component under the magnifying glass, you will discover that each is inscribed with micro-sized, cryptic codes. Curious to know the name of the technology and the equipment that helped accomplish this nearly impossible task? Well, when it comes to precision marking and coding, nothing is impossible with a sophisticated continuous inkjet (CIJ) printer. No wonder, these high-end devices have become an integral part of the production line across the electronic industry, where you need to mark products that are sometimes measured in microns. Learn about the benefits of laser engraving metal with Lasit technology: reliability, versatility and high productivity, click here.
The Importance of Coding and Marking Electronic Chips
The development of sophisticated micro-electronic components has revolutionized the electronic industry. The dramatic growth of these micro-sized components has necessitated a technology that would allow for the addition of highly durable, miniscule codes on the products. These high-res codes serve the following purposes:
Identification: Coding allows differentiation between electronic chips that look exactly the same externally.
Brand recognition: Coding enables electronic component manufacturers to mark out their product as their own, and represent the brand to end users.
Traceability: Proper identification helps manufacturers to track and trace product throughout the distribution chain.
Counterfeiting Prevention: CIJ facilitates the creation of unique product identifier that enables manufacturers overcome the challenges of unauthorized copying and selling of components with similar look and feel of the original products.
Coding Miniscule Electronic Chips Is Fraught With the Following Challenges
Size limitations: Chips are very tiny. Codes need to be even smaller in order to fit into their constrained spaces.
Durability: Electronic components call for high resolution codes that can withstand highly demanding production processes, including alcohol cleaning.
Two-Dimensional Barcodes Generation Capability: In the electronic industry, the products must be marked with readable DataMatrix codes – two dimensional barcodes – to facilitate traceability and tracking.
Compatibility with Industry-Friendly Inks: Industries may have very specific ink requirements for coding. Manufacturers in the electronic sector for instance need to use halogen-free inks to comply with regulatory requirements.
Eliminating Challenges with CIJ
CIJ technology offers coding solutions that help manufacturers achieve high quality coding on electronic components, ensuring high brand visibility, better tracking and profitability.
CIJ printers allow for the hassle-free integration of DataMatrix codes, as small as 0.6mm, into existing equipment.
Their compatibility with a range of fast-drying, alcohol-resistant and halogen-free inks helps support a range of production speeds and application requirements.
As opposed to laser marking solution, CIJ’s non-contact technology doesn’t damage the surface of the delicate electronic components such as LCD screens and battery packs.
With very low maintenance requirements, high speed CIJ printers help maximize the uptime of their production line, and thus provide a commercially viable solution to low-to-medium or medium-to-high volume manufacturers.
Capable of altering specific characters in codes, the high-end CIJ printers can go a long way to improve your basic lot and batch codes. The more sophisticated versions come embedded with algorithmic software technology and enable manufacturers to make their codes more complicated and thus unsuitable for unauthorized replication.
CIJ technology can help address a plethora of challenges faced by manufacturers in the electronic industry. The latest models not only provide outstanding resolution and print durability, but are also capable of generating highly complex codes, even in small spaces. No wonder, high quality CIJ printers are attracting investment from manufacturers of electronic components globally. After all, tracking products through the production and distribution cycles and protecting them from counterfeiting attempts are crucial for reinforcing brand identity in a highly competitive market.