EPM 451/3

COMPUTER INTEGRATED
MANUFACTURING
INIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION AND DATA CAPTURE
Name: Mock Kar Wai
No. Matric: 111879
Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr Shahrul Kamaruddin

MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING WITH

MANAGEMENT

AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION AND DATA CAPTURE (AIDC)

Definition: Technologies that capture data for computer entry without
keyboard which require no human involvement.
Applications:

Material handling: shipping, picking, receiving and storage

Retail sales, Mail and parcels
Distributions, Inventory control
Medical
Banking

Advantages of AIDC:
Reduces error in data collection and entry. AIDC reduces or eliminate
human factor and improves accuracy.
Reduces time in data entry. AIDC captures data in a shorter time than
manual entry.
Reduces labor cost. AIDC removes the need of full human attention.
3 Steps of AIDC:

Data Encoder
Set code
Generate
machinereadable code
Attach to item

Scanner
Reads the
encoded data

Data Decoder
Process and
transform read
data

AIDC Technologies:
1. Optical: use graphical symbols interpretable by optical scanners.

2. Electromagnetic: use electromagnetic waves to transmit data to

3.
4.
5.
6.

receiver/scanner.
Magnetic: use magnetic data encoding. E.g. Credit card Magnetic strip
Smart Card: small microchip-embedded cards.
Touch techniques: touch screens and buttons.
Biometric: uses voice, fingerprint, retina-scans and etc.

Bar Code (Linear):

Optical AIDC technology that read data by a linear sweep from scanner. Two
types:
1. Width-modulated which consist of bars and space of different width.
2. Height-modulated which consist of evenly spaced bars with different
height.
Bar Code Reader:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Contact: portable, battery-powered with memory for data storage.

Noncontact: use focused light beam to read bar code.
Fixed beam: Stationary as product pass for scanning
Moving beam: rotating mirror to scan barcode in any orientation. High
scan rate.

Bar Code Printer:

1. Ink-jet
2. Direct Thermal: heat-sensitive chemical coated paper printed by heat
3. Thermal transfer: Similar to Direct Thermal but printable on normal
paper
4. Laser printing
5. Laser Etching: use laser to mark barcodes on metal parts
Bar Code (Two Dimensional):
1. Stacked Bar Code: similar to linear barcode but several linear bar
codes are stacked vertically to store more data.

2. Matrix Symbologies: 2D pattern normally in square. More data than

Stacked bar code but more complicated to generate and require
special equipment to read.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID):
RFID uses ID tag containing electronically encoded data. Tag made of IC
chip and small antenna. Reader is brought near to tag (or vice-versa), a RF
signal is sent to tags antenna. The tag replies with encoded data. Reader
decodes, confirms the signal before transmitting to computer. Two types of
tags:
1. Passive: no internal power source. Uses power from received signal.
Shorter range but cheaper, durable and smaller
2. Active: comes with power pack. Longer range.
Advantages of RFID:
1. No physical contact or direct line of sight required
2. Higher data capacity
3. Data rewritable. Tag reusable.
Disadvantage: Expensive, only suitable for environment, which optical
method is not suitable.