Takea close look at any electronics devices whether it is an automotive keylessentry system or even home audio equipments and you will discover a uniquecoding standard called Data Matrix. This standard is used by contemporaryproduct manufacturers. The motive behind the adoption of this standard is tohelp the manufacturers to build an automated tracking system which is longlasting, machine readable, and helps enable the unique identification of eachproduct during its entire life cycle. ECC 200 2D Data Matrix codes are created through laser marking and they are acost-effective method for distinctive identification and tracking of productsduring the manufacturing cycle, sales distribution and after-sale warrantyverification stages.

Data Matrix codes are strong enough to survivecomplex manufacture processes such as broad cleaning and wave solder, withoutaffecting the circuit performance. For these reasons, the codes are usedextensively in manufacturing processes. The ECC 200 2D Data Matrix codes present a proficient means of storingalphanumeric character strings in a very small area of printed circuit board.

Advantagesof ECC 200 2D Data Matrix codes overconventional 1D barcodes are stated below.

•  Data Matrix codes easily accommodate low-contrast printing directly on the parts without the help of a label.

• In opposition to the analog encoding of data in conventional barcodes, Data Matrix codes encode information digitally.

• Data Matrix codes offer built-in error correction techniques due to the fact that they have a high information density. This feature allows complete recovery of the encoded message in the Data Matrix symbol even when the mark is missing or damaged as much as 20 per cent of the symbol.

•  Data Matrix codes are scalable and can be printed in various levels of magnification. However, they are limited by the resolution of the available imaging and printing techniques.

• 2D Data Matrix codes offer higher information density in comparison to the 1D barcodes. In fact, they are the highest among all the 2D codes, enabling the placement of a large amount of information in a very small area.

• While conventional barcodes require a scanned laser beam to read them, Data Matrix codes can be read by video cameras which essentially means that they can be read in any orientation.