ECC200 Code
Two-dimensional symbologies encode information in the form of a checkerboard pattern of on/off cells. (See left). Specific advantages of Data Matrix codes over conventional 1D barcodes include:
• Encode information digitally, as opposed to the analog encoding of data in conventional barcodes.
• Can accommodate low-contrast printing directly on parts without requiring a label
• Offer very high information density — the highest among other common 2D codes, which means that you can place a lot of information in a very small area.
• They are scaleable, which means that you can print them and read them in various levels of magnification — only limited by the resolution of the available printing and imaging techniques.
• Due to the high information density inherent to Data Matrix codes, they also offer built-in error-correction techniques which allow fully recovering the message encoded in a Data Matrix symbol even if the mark is damaged and missing as much as 20% of the symbol.
• They are read by video cameras as opposed to a scanned laser beam used for reading conventional barcodes, which means that they can be read in any orientation.
ECC 200 Data Matrix is the most popular 2-D symbology with extensive use in automotive, aerospace, electronics, semiconductor, medical devices and other manufacturing unit-level traceability applications. Data Matrix codes are typically not replacing conventional linear barcodes, but are being used where traditional barcodes were too large, did not provide sufficient storage capacity, or were unreadable.