Interpret UID Compliance As Per Authority Laid Specifications

UID Compliance Follows a Strict Set of Complex Government Specifications

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has established a complicated set of strict barcode identification requirements, including MIL-STD-130, "Standard Practice for Identification Marking of Military Property", which governs the printing, marking and recording of military material with a Unique Identifier (UID) symbol for rapid recognition and data capture purposes. UID Compliance requirements are quite specific for barcode identification systems, for example, different specifications have been written for batteries, microcircuits and rocket motors. Military contractors must be in full UID Compliance before being allowed to sell their products to the government.

Barcode Identification Marking of Military Equipment

The DoD demands durable, easily recognizable, permanent markings for its military equipment. UID Compliance includes both human-readable and machine-readable barcode, text and marking symbols. The military must be able to immediately recognize the origin, type and location of its parts, material and equipment for tracking purposes.

UID Compliance might accept simply a human-readable paragraph of free text for identification purposes on simple parts. More complex product labels require a combination of the machine-readable 2D dot-matrix or barcode and the human-readable free text identification number. Military contractors must ensure that they have provided enough information - in the proper format - on their labels.

At times, the competing identification numbers, acronyms and Construct types can be confusing for the novice business. For example, there is an Application Identifier (AI) two-digit number at the beginning of a sequence, a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) five-digit alphanumeric code, and a text element identifier (TEI) four-character mnemonic symbol representing a data element.

While one UID Compliance system bases its identification number on the manufacturer identification code, another depends upon the individual product number. Manufacturers must match the proper number, accepted pattern and designated system for label marking to fulfill UID Compliance laws.

MIL-STD-130 General Requirements for Label Marking

Under the MIL-STD-130, Paragraph 4, entitled "General Requirements", the specific rules for application technique, size and location are articulated: "The required marking shall be applied to an identification plate, identification band, identification tag, or identification label securely fastened to the item...." This standard continues - "Whenever practicable, the location of the marking on the item shall ensure its readability during normal operational use." The identification marking "shall be as permanent as the normal life expectancy of the item and be capable of withstanding the environmental tests and cleaning procedures" used for the item.

Don't waste valuable time, money and energy on printing and marking faulty identification labels, which the DoD will reject as insufficient. Turn to the proven experts at ID-Integration to help you decipher the UID Compliance requirements.

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