Saint Petersburg Mining University, Department of Materials Science and Artwork Engineering, Saint Petersburg, Russia:

E. I. Pryakhin, Head of the Department, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences, e-mail: e-p-azernbc@yandex.ru
E. Yu. Troshina, Postgraduate Student, e-mail: ivan.grey.90@mail.ru

To be securely readable, barcodes and matrix ID codes that are installed on metallic or non-metallic surfaces should be of high contrast both immediately after installation and throughout the life of the product that carries them. However, utilizing the product in hot and harsh environments (in acids, alkalis, etc.) may lead to its structural degradation and, consequently, affect the contrast of the codes making them poorly readable with the help of optical devices. The efficiency of such degradation is also governed by the product material. This paper describes the results of a study that looked at the degradation of matrix codes installed by lasers on products made of L63 brass grade and D16 aluminium alloy following thermal and chemical impacts. It is shown that the thermal resistance temperature of laser-installed ID codes for brass is 200 ^oC, while barcodes installed on the aluminium alloy remain readable when heated up to 600 ^oC. A major change is noted with regard to the effect produced by 2% acid solutions on codes installed on brass. In the case of the aluminium alloy, a 2% solution of sulphuric acid did not affect the contrast of the codes. When treated with alkaline solutions, a brass surface with a code turned dark, the contrast of the codes degraded significantly and the code became poorly readable. At the same time, alkali produced but a slight effect on the contrast of codes installed on the aluminium alloy.

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