Supposing a guy wanted to put a hidden identifier in a product. Would it be possible to put something such as a chip they use on a dog or cat in there? It would have to hold up to some VERY substantial use, temperatures, vibration, etc. I would imagine those used on cats and dogs are a synthetic, and those might not last. Or maybe just a nameplate may have to suffice, as a lot of the parts would be able to be disassembled. Or a stamped SN.
Steve
Hertel has used them since the mid-'80s as identifiers for CNC toolholders, for keeping inventory and for automated selecting/loading/programming of offsets.
They embed the chip like some retailers are now doing with products on their shelves. It's on the surface of the metal, sunk into a recess.
They're called "chips" because they're a little radio on a silicon chip.
Run of the mill silicon circuits will withstand storage from -40C to +100 or 125C; better ones will go from -55C to +175C. Operating temperatures will run from 0C to +70C for run-of-the-mill to -40 to +125C for "automotive" -- there's some high temperature stuff out there, but probably not RFID chips.
You certainly can't just toss one into the melt when you go to pour a casting.
But, what you can do is to have a cavity into which you pour a filler with a unique composition for each item. or if you want to use RFID, have a cavity filled with a unique epoxy with a chip in there. You may also look at how companies like CISCO do this
How well hidden? We are marking our aluminum sample holders with laser- burned QR 2D barcodes (check google if you don't know what I'm talking about). They can be quite compact: a 5mm x 5mm symbol can fit a dozen or so characters.
I have metal stamps that put tiny marks on my products that are also made by other companies. The marks code the date and the operator and are built into the machine so it's automatic. we have had lawsuits against us that turned out to be a competitor's product and we proved it wasn't ours.
Sounds like that identifier paid for itself, several times over?
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
I have metal stamps that put tiny marks on my products that are also made by other companies. The marks code the date and the operator and are built into the machine so it's automatic. we have had lawsuits against us that turned out to be a competitor's product and we proved it wasn't ours.
We did it mostly to track any problems back to the operator to see if there were any quality issues that could be cured by more training.
Back when Kodak had employees. On the line I worked, we had to use a white "grease crayon" to number. So if something was wrong, they could go back to the person who made the error. The day shift person made a lot of mistakes, and they brought them back to me. I made flat top 3, and she made round top
Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
We did it mostly to track any problems back to the operator to see if there were any quality issues that could be cured by more training.
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required