For quite a while, Cognex has made one of the best high end barcode scanners, the Dataman 7000. We have sold a bunch of them, especially the version that can be used to verify UID marks.
Well, everything changes and the 7000 is about to be replaced by the new Dataman 8000 series.
While a lot of the functionality is much the same, the Dataman 8000 does come with some nifty new features.
It is the first handheld reader to come with the fancy new liquid lens technology. This allows for automatic variable focus at high speeds with no moving parts.
The Dataman 8000 is also the first handheld scanner to have Ethernet connectivity available. Serial and USB connectivity is also available, but sadly no Bluetooth version – hopefully this will be introduced in the near future. At this time there is also no verification option for UID marks, I believe the previous generation 7500V will still be produced to handle this job.
Two versions of the new scanner will be made to start, the 8500 which has a number of lighting systems built in for reading DPM codes and a more conventional 8100 for high contrast codes on labels and dataplates. As you would expect, the 8000 series can read all the usual barcode types, both linear and 2D.
All in all, a very nice update. The major thing missing is the cordless option which is also my main complaint about the competing MobileHawk scanner from Microscan.
One thing is for sure, the Dataman 8000 and the MobileHawk will be the two top handheld barcode scanners around.
Need more info? Call me at 603-598-1553. We are a Cognex business partner and will be happy to help.
Do you use, or have a need for, top quality barcode scanners? What do you use for your toughest barcode jobs?
Labeling & Coding News is the online industry insider from ID Technology, EPI , Panther, Greydon, and Code Tech Labeling & Coding product brands of ProMach.
