A dynamic 2D laser mark - Coherent Inc.

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a p p cat o n report FIGURE 3. A UV laser marking system can produce miniaturized 2DMI marks as on this titanium screw head. where anti-counterfeit protection is an important benefit, a series of genuine and counterfeit marks can be produced to prove that the Orbid system can clearly distinguish between the two. Purchase of the system requires a license fee and a per-use fee based on the number of products being marked. Small volume customers generally have their parts marked by a laser system that might be outsourced by the end customer. Higher volume customers purchase a third-party laser marking workstation in close cooperation with Orbid. Marks are read by conventional handheld imaging-type scanners and the information is decoded in a system computer equipped with the appropriate algorithms. Titanium medical implants Stryker Leibinger GmbH (Freiburg, Germany), a division of Stryker, has implemented 2D MI marking to prevent counterfeiting of its products. Stryker Leibinger Micro Implants, one of the leading names in metal medical implants, specializes in small screws and plates that are used to repair fractures of the mid-face, mandible, and hand, for both neurological and reconstructive purposes. Explains Andreas Ippisch, project engineer, research & development, "Our products are used to repair tiny bones following trauma and are used in small delicate operations. In fact the biggest screw we make is only 3.2 mm x 42 mm. And some of our screws are only 1 mm in diameter with a 1.8 mm diame ter head and 2mm length. Our products are made from either pure titanium or titanium alloy." At first glance, this may seem to be an unlikely product-type for counterfeiting. However, these are high value products and the company has experienced problems with copies of inferior material in the marketplace. Clearly it is not in the interest of the patient or Stryker for these unregulated copies to make their way into critical surgeries. Furthermore, the FDA requires that, if the technology is available, implant suppliers implement a product traceability system that allows product tracking from initial fabrication all the way to the patient. There is also the issue of trans-shipment where distributors may illegally divert products intended for " one country to another country in order ! to avoid or reduce import duties and ~ other fees. j Stryker utilizes a 2DMI marking sys ."J tern based on an all solid-state, ultravi ~ olet laser (Coherent Avia). This source provides the required spatial resolution and power for making small marks in titanium. They are using Image Team 4600 PDF handheld readers to read the marks. The company plans to use 2DMI to now mark every individual component with up to 12 bits of information. The 2DMI system satisfies Stryker's goal of marking even the tiniest of screws with a proprietary system mark that can only be read by Stryker personnel, licensed agents, and customers. Ippisch explains that, "Mark miniaturization is the key for our application. On FIGURE 4. The 2DMI mark can withstand cosmetic damage without information loss, which is an advantage for long-life products such as this stainless steel beer keg. 20 Industrial Laser Solutions AUGUST 2005 www.industrial-Iasers.com
a screw head as small as 1.8 mm diam eter, when you allow for the size of the slots or driving notches, there is very little room left for a mark. Yet with 2DMI and a UV laser, we can code 15 digits of information into a mark that is between 250 and 350 microns square (see Figure 3). And because we have a unique coding algorithm supplied by Orbid, no-one but Stryker and our associates can read the code or produce counterfeit products that appear as though they were made by our company." Marking stainless-steel beer kegs Trumer Brauerei, producer of Trumer Pils, an authentic European pilsner originating in Austria and brewed in Berkeley, CA, recently adopted 2DMI marking for its stainless-steel kegs because of the mark's durability and resistance to damage. Master Brewer Lars Larson explains, "The typical beer keg has an expected lifetime of 20 to 30 years. It may be filled between two a p P I cat o n report and 10 times a year depending on the market, with seal changes performed after roughly every 10 fills. These beer kegs have a rough and long life, accumulating lots of scratches and dings over that lifetime. We are hoping that the 2DMI system will stand up to this abuse and ultimately allow us to track, trace, and inventory everyone of our kegs. All tests so far indicate that this will be successful. The biggest challenge so far is in optimizing the scanning process. Should this technology prove itself at our brewery, there are implications for use at the other breweries within our organization, which carry larger keg fleets than Trumer." To date Trumer has marked about half their total of several thousand kegs (see Figure 4). These are marked on both the top and bottom surface. Several different sized marks were tested for read ability, with the final choice measuring just less than 19 mill. Both the top and bottom surfaces must be marked because beer kegs are cleaned and filled upside down. Having a mark on the lower surface has allowed Trumer to integrate an automatic recording system that logs the kegs as they leave the filling station. The kegs are then stacked upright on pallets. They are then scanned at shipping using a handheld scanner on the top surface. And finally, returned kegs are manually scanned upon return to the brewery, before any cleaning is performed. In conclusion, the applications for laser marking continue to grow and diversify. The development of a new type of two-dimensional mark will add considerable value and integrity over both the traditional barcode and alphanumeric-type marks for many diverse products. At the same time, continued advances in solid-state lasers, especially with output in the UV, means that these benefits can be realized without adding undue cost to the marked products. ~ David Clark (david.clark@coherent.com) is with Coherent Inc. and Kevin Simmons (ksimmons@orbidcorp.com) is with Orbid Corp. www.industrial-Iasers.com AUGUST 2005 Industrial Laser Solutions 21
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A dynamic 2D laser mark - Coherent Inc.

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