SMT Barcode controls

I don't know that you find anything off the shelf that fits all of your requirements, but it wouldn't be too hard to create a system that does *most* of what you want.

You could at least have it read the code off the pcb & alarm if it doesn't match the job that you have told it to look for. This alarm could also easily prevent the SMEMA handshake between the printer and the next piece of equipment.

I utilize barcodes everywhere in our process for board tracking, employee timeclock, time against work order routers, inventory management, part kitting/traceability, ect. I'm not 100% sure why you need it at the back of the printer & why it would try to pre-configure a follow on piece of equipment such as a pick and place, however. It seems like if the operators don't have the correct job loaded on all machines, you have more pressing issues. I am a job shop however, not an OEM so our changeovers are many and require a complete re-setup...it's not just a few components that are different. I suppose an OEM may have an extremely similar setup that and it would be easy to overlook.

Len

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Hello. Several companies offer what you seek, with different options (like reel traceability, msl levels etc.) depending what you need and of course how much are you willing to pay. I worked with 2 systems - Itac (which we bought) and one custom made by 3 programmers. Both have advantages, again depending on how much time and money you want to put into this project. My advice is first to put on paper what you want and show it to a few software companies (like Itac) and see how much is going to cost you. Just know this - if you want to make a traceability - go all the way, don't just put a few options in, because sooner or later you will need all of them.

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