UID Compliance: A Brief Overview

UID, or Unique Item Identification, has been made a mandatory practice by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). All military property, assets, and products are now required to possess compliant UID markings, or tags. This exclusive system of assigning specific ID codes to unique items was introduced with a strong motive for protecting these valuable assets from loss, damage, or misuse. Compliance with the requirements outlined by the DoD, means that the manufacturers’ experiences will be more positive throughout the duration of their government contract. Non-compliance may result in hefty fines and ultimately, the loss of a contract.

UID Specifications and Requirements:

The Department of Defense has a wide range of essential UID requirements. For improved adoption and compliance by contractors, the DoD has prepared a series of published guidelines to assist in meeting these requirements. Two excellent resources for UID compliance include MIL STD 129 and MIL STD 130 guidelines.

Both these documents contain a many of do’s and don’ts for the manufacturers. Generally these articles are categorized under the UID compliance regulations on the basis of the cost, usage, or overall value of the product. These processes are very rigid and fulfillment of successful contract terms requires full compliance on each product or part supplied to the U.S. military.

UID Compliance Methods

UID compliance, as stated earlier, covers a huge area. Starting right from accepted methods of UID marking, label substrate materials, UID scanner models, and data collection, storage, and analysis, the DoD has carefully thought through each facet of product identification to ensure better end results. Each and every process has specific rules and regulations of critical importance. Therefore, before a manufacturer enters into a contract to supply the U.S. Government one must attain thorough knowledge of these guidelines and restrictions as provided in detail throughout all MIL STD 130 and MIL STD 129 documentation for full UID compliance.

UID Compliance and Verifiers:

UID compliance verification helps to systemize the entire chain of production, storage, and circulation of production data amongst manufacturers. Such identification solutions immensely help to actually track down records, capture and analyze valuable production details, and enforce safety and quality control measures. Many successful contractors choose to integrate a UID verifier into their UID application solution for an added measure of quality improvement when it comes to meeting UID compliance requirements.For more information on UID compliance and the wide range of solutions, visit ID Integration at www.id-integration.com.

UID Software for MIL SPEC 129 Compliance

Unique item identification is a remarkable process of tracking, storing, and analyzing data collected throughout the manufacturing, distribution, and installation of just about every asset registered under the U.S. Government. This initiative was managed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) in order to prevent the misplacement, misuse, or loss of items and products exclusively belonging to the military.

All methods are well described in the compliance protocols known as MIL SPEC 129 and MIL STD 130. These regulations, restrictions, and specifications are all covered extensively by the standards outlined in MIL SPEC 129 and MIL STD 130 documentation. These details cover everything from basic manufacturing requirements; like which articles are required to be registered with unique identification. These guidelines also include how to proceed with registration, what’s contained on a compliant UID label, what substrate materials and marking technologies are recommended, and so much more.

There are also some specific rules that influence the use of UID software for marking, scanning, data capture and analysis, as well as other special requirements. Thus, it can be understood that a compliant UID solution depends on hardware and software programming as part of their overall solution.

MIL SPEC 129 states that anything under the government’s possession must have item-unique identification. This unique identification will features essential manufacturing data; like the manufacturers’ location of manufacture, the product’s production date, item code, serial number, service data, expiry date, and more. Ideally, this data is also written in an accepted bar code format, such as 2D data matrix code, and this level of automation requires the use of compliant and proven UID software solutions for the best success rate.

MIL SPEC 129 states the basic parameters for compliant scanners. These compliant models must be able to read and store 2D data matrix codes containing the standard identification details. In addition, recommended models should be installed with memory backup and storage to a secure network for more efficient data analysis.

To learn more about MIL SPEC 129 guidelines and UID software as well as other solutions for UID applications, visit ID Integration online at www.id-integration.com. These seasoned experts have a wide range of products to offer custom-fit solutions for all your DoD application needs. From industrial marking and coding systems to UID scanners, UID software, and verifiers, ID Integration has got you covered. Read our blog for even more informative and useful articles on this critical area of government contracts.

A Good UID Scanner Ensures Better MIL STD 130 Compliance

Finding a good UID scanner for testing to see if UID labels are compliant with MIL STD 130 standards has been made easier by ID Integration, Inc. Visit the ID Integration website at www.id-integration.com to find today’s leading selection of UID compliant scanners. The Department of Defense’s guidelines for tracking military property, involves proper marking identification of every item, and is collectively called MIL STD 130. This MIL standard contains many government documents and books. The current MIL-STD-130 specifications possess full authority in resolving conflicts with older documents and contain a complete list of documents in Section 2. The required IUID or UID labels are easily read using a UID scanner. Finding a reliable and compliant UID scanner is necessary for successful applications.

Section 1.3 of the MIL STD 130 guidelines contains a list of items not requiring a UID mark. This is because these items already have appropriate marking or UID labels (Unique Identification). The VIN number of a car or serial number of a cell phone is a perfect example of this. If a UID label is required, it is highly recommended that you supplement your identification solution to include a good UID scanner for verification purposes and testing. Testing is often necessary to avoid costly mistakes.

The U.S. Department of Defense, or DoD, specifies that the UID markings must be applied to identification plates, tags, or UID labels that are made of a rugged and durable material. Marking may also be made to the actual surface of a manufactured part or product. Ultimately, this UID marking must remain visible and readable, while in operation and use. UID labels are much easier to read when using a UID scanner. The UID marking must be permanent, throughout the full lifecycle of the item.

If the item is not large enough to include the full UID marking specifications on a UID label, the item is required to be marked with at least the EID (Enterprise Identifier) and the PIN (Part or Identifying Number), Lot, or Batch Number. If an item is too small for any marking, then the UID marking on the UID label should be on the packaging. MRI (Machine Readable Information) is the DoD’s recommended marking method. If you are trying to find a good UID scanner, consider the experts in MIL STD 130 technology at ID Integration, Inc. Visit www.id-integration.com for more information.

The Importance of MIL STD 130

MIL STD 130 is a document detailing the process of UID labels or marking for products that are produced, stored, stocked, and issued by the Department of Defense, or DoD. Any organization that works with products intended for use by the DoD must follow the UID label guidelines as specified in MIL STD 130. This managed process is used to ensure that each product has unique identification so that it can be tracked throughout its usage and lifetime. MIL STD 130 plays a big part in Department of Defense projects, or contracts. This is especially true when this branch of government works with outside organizations and manufacturers. MIL STD 130 has been developed to provide a useful manual of specifications to ensure full compliance of UID labels.

In cases where a product has already established a history with a unique identification number, MIL STD 130 allows for some exceptions. These are typically products such as motor vehicles, cell phones, and other products with separate and unique UID labels already in place. The best examples of these exceptions include; cell phones, which are already defined by their Electronic Serial Numbers; and cars, which are already identified by a Vehicle Identification Number.

MIL STD 130 provides the minimum requirements that UID labels must meet in order to be used by the DoD. The list of requirements is too long to list in this brief article, but some of the more basic requirements can be discussed. To start, MIL STD 130 requires that all UID labels be marked on a hard surface that will withstand industrial environments. UID labels may be affixed to the part, itself, or with a plate, label, tag, or band. In some cases UID labels aren’t actually labels, but rather an identification mark that has been printed or indented directly onto the surface of the part.

MIL STD 130 explains that these UID labels need to be located in a highly visible area, if possible. UID labels need to be designed to last for the full lifetime use of a product, taking into consideration the environment it will be exposed to. Compliant UID labels also need to have both human and machine readable codes visible on the identification.

MIL STD 130 enforces several requirements for how the human readable and machine readable information should be provided. Specifications for human readable information typically include information about the font size and style, among other things. All machine readable information must be arranged in a certain way, and there are minimum requirements for the information that must be identifiable.

Depending on the industry, the requirements for ID integration are different. Since MIL STD 130 is a lengthy document that can't be easily shortened, anyone working with the Department of Defense (DoD) should contact an experienced integrator like ID Integration, Inc. for assistance in evaluating the many solutions.