The sizing model, published
Most code reading quotations are argued from a catalogue. Ours is argued from four rules you can check yourself. If your geometry fails one of them, no vendor or budget fixes it.
Rule 1
Ten pixels per module
A 2D code needs roughly ten sensor pixels across each module to decode reliably on a real surface. A 0.5 mm module therefore needs a field of about 5 mm per ten modules, and the optics follow from there. Fewer pixels works on clean laser printed labels and fails on corrugate.
Rule 2
Half a module of motion smear
Motion blur must stay under half a module. Required exposure in microseconds equals 0.5 times the module in millimetres, divided by the belt speed in metres per second, times one million. This is the rule that decides whether a strobe is a lighting accessory or a timing device.
Rule 3
The six-sided floor is 1.27 mm at 500 mm
Side heads look along the box face at a shallow angle, so effective resolution drops. Published six-sided systems hold a 1.27 mm 2D floor while the top face alone can reach 0.38 mm. This is geometry, not product quality.
Rule 4
The class ceiling is 3.5 m/s, on one face
The fastest published multi-megapixel reader we could verify reaches 3.5 m/s with a 12 MP sensor at 15 Hz, on a single unit. No six-sided layout in this class publishes anything above 3 m/s. Claiming otherwise is a brochure problem.
Worked examples
Same four rules, three parcels. The arithmetic is the whole argument.
| Case | Module | Belt speed | Exposure budget | Smear at 100 µs | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parcel, printed label | 1.0 mm | 2.0 m/s | 250 µs | 0.20 mm | passes with margin |
| Parcel, small label | 0.5 mm | 2.0 m/s | 125 µs | 0.20 mm | passes, thin margin |
| Parcel, small label, fast line | 0.5 mm | 3.0 m/s | 83 µs | 0.30 mm | fails at 100 µs, passes at 50 µs |
| Direct part mark, machined | 0.3 mm | 2.0 m/s | 75 µs | 0.20 mm | fails, needs 50 µs and better contrast |
| Side face on a six sided ring | 1.0 mm | 2.0 m/s | 250 µs | 0.20 mm | blocked by rule 3, below 1.27 mm floor |
The last row is the one that catches most projects. The exposure budget says yes, the side angle says no. Both rules apply at once.
Depth of field, the numbers we could verify
Only two rows of this table are published with numeric values. We print the gap rather than interpolate it.
| Module | 1D read distance | 2D read distance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 mil | 676 mm | 465 mm | small code, short reach |
| 10 mil | not published | not published | the manual prints a colour band with no value |
| 15 mil | not published | not published | same page, same gap |
| 20 mil | 2,249 mm | 1,547 mm | large code, long reach |
Consequence for a 1,200 mm wide belt: the same 16 mm lens cannot cover the width and read 10 mil at once. Either the head moves further away and the code grows, or the lens is exchanged for a wider one and the code shrinks. There is no third option.
Questions we get on the first call
Why five area heads and one line scan, not six area heads?
No area head can see the face a parcel is sitting on. The bottom is read through a mirror with a line scan head, which is the same solution the three large vendors publish. Six area heads is a common brochure phrase and a rare physical installation.
Can I use the heads I already stock?
Yes, that is the point of selling the ring separately. We need the serial interface, the trigger input specification and the mounting pattern. If a head cannot take an external trigger in hardware, we will say so before you buy the ring.
Is there a licence fee per line?
No dongle and no per line licence. The merge logic runs in the trigger box and the result format is documented. We do not withhold a key to keep you as a customer.
What certifications exist today?
The status is published as it is, on the About page, including the parts that are not finished. We do not print a CE mark we have not earned.
Lead time?
Evaluation ring: four to six weeks from a signed geometry sheet. Production station: ten to fourteen weeks, depending on head availability. Both figures will move once the first build is behind us, and we will update this page rather than quietly quote a new number.
Can you send a sizing sheet as a file?
Yes. Ask from the contact page and we send the spreadsheet we actually use, formulas visible, so you can audit the assumptions instead of trusting a summary.