Hand held scanners come in a variety of technologies such as wands, CCD's, Laser, and Image Capture. The depth of field and scanning distances vary with each technology. Scanning ranges can be from contact up to 40', but extenuating factors, such as barcode "X" dimension, must be considered for the application. Additional factors such as environmental characteristics, scanner durability, cable connectivity and others must be weighed before making the right choice.

Fixed mount scanners are engineered to meet the rigorous demands of on-line scanning. Since these are unattended devices, it is critical to maximize the "first read rate". Scanners can be daisy chained or work in a tandem sequence configuration to meet large-scale applications. Specialty scanners for tires, paper rolls, or other omni-directional applications are also available. Our offerings are geared for harsh environments and can include full NEMA enclosures where necessary. PLC interfacing is available to fully integrate the scanning with other mechanical devices.

2-Dimensional barcoding allows more information to travel with the product in a small amount of space. 2-Dimensional barcodes, such as Maxicode, DataMatrix, PDF 417, and Aztec code all have different traits, requiring different types of scanners. Typically standard one-dimensional or linear barcode readers will not work with 2-D barcodes. Many 2-D scanners also require special power and connectivity considerations. We can help you determine if 2-D barcodes are right for your applications and how to meet the challenges.

Barcode verifiers test the quality of a barcode where scan-ability is a concern. The diagnosis of the barcode is applied against the ANSI industry standards. Different from a scanner which simply reads the code, a barcode verifier will tell you how well all scanners will be able to read the code. These devices are instrumental in determining the printing problems that cause a bad barcode, and help to increase the overall "First Read Rate" of a system.

With all these technologies, understanding the attributes of barcoding is critical to ensuring your data collection system is a success. Ahearn & Soper has been testing, recommending, and developing barcode scanning solutions for the past 25 years. A lot of time and energy is spent evaluating the latest devices on the market, which provides insight in separating fact from fiction. Our years of experience will help you to make a more informed decision.