Globally Recognized & Certified Products

In-House Product Development creates a solution where others fail

Our Challenge

Traceability is a business imperative for electronic manufacturing service (EMS) providers. Barcode and QR code labels must withstand chemical and high heat exposure to remain scannable throughout the assembly process. It is unfortunately all too common for thermal transfer (TT) printed labels to suffer image degradation and/or lose adhesion under these intense conditions. EMS providers need to address these issues to retain existing customers and to acquire new contracts.

Our Solution

Several years ago, IDENTCO partnered with a leading EMS provider to solve recurring problems it had meeting customer durability and adhesion requirements. Thermal transfer printed images were degrading to the point of unreadability and labels were lifting and blowing off the boards, leading to significant rework time, and in some cases complete loss of traceability. Our In-House Testing Lab set about identifying the perfect combination to stand up to the intense conditions of PCB assembly – including high-pressure inline wash processes – resulting in a brand new durable material/TT ribbon solution that quickly became the global standard for this customer. Now able to achieve chemical resistance and durability requirements, the customer reported savings of $125,000 due to a reduction in reworks and improved traceability. In the ensuing years, IDENTCO partnered with cleaning technology companies to qualify the product for all available chemistries in the EMS marketplace. It became a stock material in IDENTCO’s Thermal Transfer catalog, and as chemistry and cleaning conditions evolve, IDENTCO’s portfolio has expanded to 20 chemical-resistant and durable solutions.