QR codes : promising but not ‘ there yet ’
Valves , like other industrial equipment , come with a manufacturer ’ s name plate with basic details engraved on it . While name plates provide most of the basic information , this identification modus comes with some limitations that QR codes could solve . However , QR tech for industrial applications needs to overcome several hurdles .
By S . Vijayakrishnan
For decades , industrial equipment has been tagged in an elementary fashion using metal tags listing basic information about the piece . Needless to say , this identification mode comes with various limitations . First of all , the space available in the name plate is usually limited , especially with smaller size valves ( Fig 1 and 2 ). Secondly , these plates are generally made in stainless steel and are reasonably corrosion resistant . However , in some environments they do get corroded , making the engraved information unreadable . To be fair , name plate information is rarely needed in installations by operating personnel . However , when valves need to be attended to in an emergency or for scheduled maintenance , accurate information is required .
Fast , accurate reading
In this context , it might be worthwhile thinking of using QR codes to provide valve tag information . QR codes could provide some significant advantages over engraved tag plates . QR codes require little space , so that they can be fixed to smaller valves . These codes can also carry many data : up to 7089 digits or 4296 characters ( including punctuation marks and special characters ) can be entered in one QR code . In addition to numbers and characters , words and phrases ( e . g . Internet addresses ) can be encoded as well . QR codes are also relatively easy to access with handheld scanners , even with a mobile phone and a suitable app , where permissible . Due to the fact that QR codes still need to be physically read , the material on which they are printed , can be impacted by corrosion , grease or dirt . Therefore , they need to be manufactured
Fig 1 – Name plate on a small size valve – space constraint on body
Fig 2 – Name plate on a special valve – need for large data space
in corrosion resistant materials . These materials can even be provided with a glass encapsulation ( as they can be read through glass ) making them last long in many hostile environments . This is of key importance in installed usage of valves . In case of non-installed usage such as inventory control in warehouses and distribution centers , QR codes can make fast and accurate machine reading possible with significant improvement in turnaround and throughputs .
Current usage
It is observed that QR codes are hardly used by valve manufacturers and end-users . There are a few valve companies such as GEMÜ who have implemented QR code systems in a limited way in their operations , but wide acceptance across the industry is not seen . This is despite the fact that the tools required to implement QR codes are simple and easily available today . To find out the reasons , we conducted a small survey among several stakeholders ( valve manufacturers , industrial users and EPCs on ID technology ( bar codes , QR codes , RFID tags ) in general and QR tech in particular . Questions asked were : “ Do you have experience with using or recommending ID-tech for valve identification . If so or not , why ? Could you list the advantages / disadvantages and what would be viable alternatives in your view .” Regarding current usage , the responses indicate that end-users are increasingly asking for it , though still not much in use . A response from a well-known EPC states that valve identification – whether it is barcode or QR , is useful in large projects both during implementation and to meet end-user demands . “ The identification modus allows to perform
48 Valve World September 2022 www . valve-world . net