one-dimensional counterparts that cashiers scan at the store. They can contain data such as lot numbers, production dates and features, in addition to the product code.

Borg Warner is doing something similar for the mechanical and hydroelectric automotive components that it produces in
Tulle, France. In addition to guaranteeing the quality of its fuel-pump bodies, control valves and other products, the company needs a way to trace them from cradle to grave. Human technicians also must be able to glean the information that they sometimes need during certain assembly operations and during repairs in the field.

As the parts come off the production line, a micropercussion device beats the information into one side of the metal part as alphanumerical characters. Then a Cognex vision system reads the characters and passes the information to an engraver, which cuts the Data Matrix into the other side of the part. A Cognex In-Sight 5110 reader verifies both the content and quality of the mark.

The marked parts then undergo a series of hydraulic tests, after which a second reader records whether the piece has successfully undergone all the necessary tests. This second reading was not an easy task, according to Olivier Skalinski, project leader at Alema Automation, a Cognex partner systems integrator for southwestern
France. The reason is that the pieces might arrive either dry and clean, or still containing a little oil from the testing process. So the system required some engineering to cope with the environmental differences.

Another challenge for Alema was ensuring that the reader could communicate with the factory database containing the test results. It had to develop the necessary interface so that an automatic identification system would prevent bad parts from being packaged for shipping. A third bar-code reader at the entrance to the packaging area reads the identifying information, and the software checks whether the part is suitable for shipping. Only good parts are allowed to enter.

The application of tracking technology could end there, or users could put the packaged parts on pallets containing RFID tags to track shipments. So it’s not just a bunch of hype; both technologies pay.

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