Laser identification of plastic biofluid storage containers

A European laboratory ensures the unit traceability of 48 wells of plastic storage containers. To facilitate automated data handling, it was decided to mark machine-readable codes alongside the human-readable codes, despite the fact that space was very limitied. A Technifor-customized machine based on the TL 400 marking laser has been chosen to answer this application. After manual loading and precise indexing of the container, the laser marks in 1 second: the 8 digit container code and a 2 digit well identification code (all in 0.8mm high human-readable text), plus a 2.7mm square machine-readable 2D Data Matrix code, containing the same information as the human-readable text. To ensure that the Data Matrix codes can be decoded, each of the 48 codes is verified using a machine vision system. The keys to the success of this application are the following: Technifor in-house laser marking expertise, the ability to provide the marking + vision solution, the experience and the ability to provide a complete turn-key solution tailored to the customer’s needs.