Unique identification or UID labels are a marking methodology devised by the Department of Defense (DoD) to keep track of all defense related tangible assets throughout their lifecycle. As per the DoD mandate, all tangible personal property and Government Furnished Property (GFP) issued on or after Jan. 1, 2004 should have UID label marking on them. All item supplying contractors were instructed to fill the registration for UID marking by May 2006. The DoD envisions completing UID label marking on all tangible as well as embedded assets by Dec 31, 2010. The DoD has estimated that 80% of the UID markings will be on labels or nameplates and rest 20% will be direct part marked in the initial period.

Mil-Std 130 standard allows the use of permanent UID labels. According to Mil-Std 130M Section 5.2.7.2.1, ?marks that are acceptable as per the requirements for printing on label material in 5.2.7.2.2 shall be acceptable or alternately see appropriate tables in SAE AS9132 (the Aerospace Industry Marking Standard) for quality requirements.?

The UID labels used for the item identification and marking process are non-removable, fade resistant, chemical resistant, scratch resistant and legible for the life of the item being affixed. Several types of materials are used for UID labels. Some of the frequently used UID labels materials are polyester, brushed aluminum foil, and polyimide. For harsh environment condition, dot peening and laser etching are done onto the UID labels.

Requirement for UID Labels

The Department of Defense has clearly specified which items require UID labels on them. As per the DoD mandate, Items,

?whose unit acquisition cost is $5000 or more

?which are mission essential

?which are serially managed

?which are embedded items where permanent identification is necessary

There are two basic methods constructing the Unique identification for an item. Construct #1 carries info such as serial no, part no, item description while Construct #2 has serial no, original part number, lot number or batch number for embedded items. Construct 1 or 2 follows MIL-STD 130 ATA 2000 compliant UID labels.

UID labels contain 2dimensional data matrix barcodes and plain texts which facilitate the government agencies to identify the government furnished assets. All marks and designs of the basic UID labels are mandated by the U.S. Government materiel purchases.

The first factor in determining how to mark an item with UID label is determined by the nature of the item, its characteristics, and operational environment and maintenance procedures. The second factor in UID marking capability is determined by the manufacturer's requirements, methods, and technical knowledge of parts marking. The 2-D Data Matrix marking method is compatible with virtually all marking techniques.

Benefits of UID Labels

The UID labels improve the operational productivity. As items will be labeled with unique identification number, it's easy to keep a track of the equipment availability. Item acquisition, deployment and repair standard can also be improvised through the UID labels. Counterfeiting of items can be stopped and thus asset management costs can also be reduced.