Axicon 6525-S

The 6525-S is Axicon’s mid-range verifier for symbols up to 125mm (almost 5 inches) wide including quiet zones. Like the basic 6515 it automatically selects the correct aperture, 5, 6, 10 or 20 mil, based on the X dimension of the barcode. This—and the scan width—make it the perfect verifier for a 4” label from a thermal or thermal transfer printer.

That is where the 6525-S goes from perfect to brilliant. That little “S” designation makes a world of difference. The S range of Axicon verifiers have a continuous scan feature. The user places the verifier over the barcode, triggers it in the usual way and moves the scanner down the barcode. In less than a second you have up to 100 scans taken—and verified to ISO/ANSI specifications—at different points in the barcode height.

Of course if the barcodes are moving—such as at the output of a label printer—the verifier can sit on Axicon’s clever fixture, performing 100% verification on every label and logging each report.

This solution is beautiful in several ways. For one, this is still a 6515 verifier: the user can disable the continuous scan mode with the click of a mouse, lift the verifier off the fixture and use it as a conventional offline verifier. But as an inline verifier, Axicon has taken it a step further with another clever accessory. Axicon’s printer interface makes communications between the 6525-S and the printer simple and elegant. If the verifier detects an unacceptable barcode, the interface will pause the printer. It can also be configured to light a light stack to alert the operator of a problem.

This solution does have some limitations—but reasonable ones. It can’t keep up with smaller labels run at a Zebra printer’s highest speed, and it certainly can’t keep up with a flexo press. Neither can it verify multiple barcodes lined up on a single label. The bottleneck isn’t so much the scanner—at 100 scans per second it could keep up with all but the fastest printers. The problem is processing all that verification data. The 6525-S keeps a full ISO/ANSI report on every symbol it sees—and that’s a lot of data and a lot of processing.

But at $4172—only $322 more than a basic 6515—it’s a powerful tool and an amazing value. The interface and fixture are additional.

Click here to view a video clip of the 6525-S in action. 

Click here to get the Axicon 6525-S data sheet. 

John Nachtrieb

John helps companies resolve current barcode problems and avoid future barcode problems to stabilize and secure their supply chain and strengthen their trading partner relationships.