Forgery-proof animal ear tags
But how can consumers and government agencies be certain that the ear tags aren’t manipulated? “The animal ear tags are made of the plastic TPU, which is a urethane-based thermoplastic polymer. The information is not inscribed on the tag’s surface, but deep down where it is scratch-resistant and therefore indestructible. The marking therefore always remains readable as long as the tag is only subject to environmental influences such as light, acids, bases, or water. The barcodes cannot be manipulated either, since they cannot be changed after they have been assigned,” says Ludwig. By developing Micabs pigments, Ludwig’s company has found a way to very quickly inscribe high-contrast, high-definition markings into the animal ear tag. Other advantages of Micabs are durability and high contrast. “The pigment enables high-speed marking and is resistant to UV radiation and manure,” Ludwig adds. The Micabs pigments are a clever combination of various polymers. “They consist of tiny spheres in a polymer matrix,” Ludwig explains. “Irradiation with a laser triggers a direct reaction that produces the desired coloration.” And that’s how the visible barcode or other marking appears on the tag.
The yellow ear tag has served its purpose once the cow ends up as rump steak on the butcher’s meat counter. And a connoisseur who also opens a bottle of red wine to enjoy with the steak might notice fine laser markings on the cork as well. That’s because Micabs can also be used to mark modern corks, although the focus here is not so much on inscribing a documentary code, but rather on ornamentation. The cork can, for example, bear the bottler’s logo, the name and region of the winegrower, and the grape variety. “Unlike ear tags, which are different for each animal, the markings on the corks will be the same for a whole series of bottles,” says Ludwig in pointing out the differences between the two systems. Fully automatic high-speed laser marking systems can inscribe up to 24,000 corks per hour.
Rump steak and red wine are just the beginning of a marking technology with great potential. Lasers will therefore soon become established alongside conventional printing methods and might eventually even replace them — so we’ll be reading laser markings instead of labels.
But how can consumers and government agencies be certain that the ear tags aren’t manipulated? “The animal ear tags are made of the plastic TPU, which is a urethane-based thermoplastic polymer. The information is not inscribed on the tag’s surface, but deep down where it is scratch-resistant and therefore indestructible. The marking therefore always remains readable as long as the tag is only subject to environmental influences such as light, acids, bases, or water. The barcodes cannot be manipulated either, since they cannot be changed after they have been assigned,” says Ludwig. By developing Micabs pigments, Ludwig’s company has found a way to very quickly inscribe high-contrast, high-definition markings into the animal ear tag. Other advantages of Micabs are durability and high contrast. “The pigment enables high-speed marking and is resistant to UV radiation and manure,” Ludwig adds. The Micabs pigments are a clever combination of various polymers. “They consist of tiny spheres in a polymer matrix,” Ludwig explains. “Irradiation with a laser triggers a direct reaction that produces the desired coloration.” And that’s how the visible barcode or other marking appears on the tag.
Rump steak and red wine
The yellow ear tag has served its purpose once the cow ends up as rump steak on the butcher’s meat counter. And a connoisseur who also opens a bottle of red wine to enjoy with the steak might notice fine laser markings on the cork as well. That’s because Micabs can also be used to mark modern corks, although the focus here is not so much on inscribing a documentary code, but rather on ornamentation. The cork can, for example, bear the bottler’s logo, the name and region of the winegrower, and the grape variety. “Unlike ear tags, which are different for each animal, the markings on the corks will be the same for a whole series of bottles,” says Ludwig in pointing out the differences between the two systems. Fully automatic high-speed laser marking systems can inscribe up to 24,000 corks per hour.
Rump steak and red wine are just the beginning of a marking technology with great potential. Lasers will therefore soon become established alongside conventional printing methods and might eventually even replace them — so we’ll be reading laser markings instead of labels.
