Cognex DataMan 302 Provides Complete Traceability for the Solar Industry

Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX) has announced the new DataMan® 302 ID reader designed specifically for solar traceability initiatives. The DataMan 302 features integrated, bank controlled, blue illumination for reading 2-D barcodes on solar photovoltaic (PV) wafers. The high resolution (1280x1024 pixels) image-based ID reader is ideal for decoding the challenging, laser marked, ECC-200 Data Matrix codes used on PV wafers that comply with the SEMI® industry organization standard SEMI PV29-0212, published in February of 2012.

“Renewable energy sectors are rapidly adopting new technologies to increase manufacturing efficiencies. Responding to this need, Cognex is investing in new products that bring the best solutions to our customers in this industry,” says Carl Gerst, Vice President and Business Unit Manager, ID Products. He continues, “The DataMan 302 reader is exactly what solar panel manufacturers need in order to keep pace with changing requirements and the growing need for traceability in the solar industry. The DataMan solar reader can be used to read DPM (Direct Part Mark) codes on PV wafers or thin-film glass panels, making it the most versatile reader for the entire solar industry.”

The DataMan 300 series of image-based industrial ID readers provide the highest read rates and are able to decode multiple codes within one image, even if presented at an angle. The patented 2DMax+™ algorithm can handle variations in code marking, codes with damaged Data Matrix clocking or timing patterns and codes degraded during the manufacturing process.

In order to ensure complete traceability, marks must be decoded at many stages of the solar panel manufacturing process. The DataMan 300 series includes flexible lens options, allowing the same reader model to be used in a wide range of applications. These applications include reading codes within confined spaces, decoding small codes within large fields of view (FOV) and scanning codes at high speed as they are presented to the reader by robotic handling devices.

The DataMan 302 solar barcode reader is available now. To learn more, visit www.cognex.com/solarID .

About Cognex
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and markets machine vision and industrial ID systems, or devices that can "see." Cognex vision and ID systems are used around the world for a wide range of inspection, identification and guidance applications throughout the manufacturing and distribution process. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision and industrial ID industries, having shipped more than 700,000 systems, representing over $3 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Japan and Latin America. For details, visit Cognex on-line at www.cognex.com.