4JET wins 2016 REIFEN Innovation Award for laser marking solution

4JET Technologies (Alsdorf, Germany), which supplies laser systems for processing delicate technical surfaces, is the winner of the Innovation Award at international tire industry tradeshow REIFEN 2016 in the Service Concept & Process Optimization category. The company has developed a solution to individually mark every tire with a unique and permanent quick response (QR) code that can be identified with most smartphone apps.

4JET's novel laser marking process engraves an individual QR code in tire sidewalls. The high-contrast engraving can be read using public domain apps available for Apple iOS or Android devices. The SCANNECT solution enables a long-standing wish of the tire industry: being able to trace tires through their life cycle and to get in closer touch with its end customers. The crisp laser markings are either applied in the tire factory, further downstream in the car/wheel assembly, or at the point of sale. Laser-engraved QR codes are recessed into the surface of the tire and therefore protected from wear.

Marking is performed by the latest version of 4JET's proven line of T-Mark systems that are widely used in new tire and retread tire manufacturing worldwide. Compared to conventional laser marking, which only leaves a low-contrast mark on the black tire surface, the SCANNECT process creates a deep-black mark on the bottom of the engraving, providing enough contrast to be read with cameras in mobile devices. The proprietary process, comprising special optics, laser parameters, and control software integrated in the company's standard marking systems, is now commercially available.

For more information, please visit www.4jet.de.