Criteria for Evaluating the Quality of DPM Marking on Heterogeneous Symbolic Images Formed by Electrochemical Etching of Metal Surfaces
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20535/2521-1943.2026.10.2(109).359330Keywords:
electrochemical etching, direct marking of products, stainless steel, marking quality, near-surface layer, surface engineering, hydrated passive filmAbstract
This analytical review is devoted to the development of a system of criteria for evaluating the quality of direct marking of stainless-steel products using the electrochemical etching method. It is shown that the current requirements of ISO/IEC 29158:2020, which are oriented toward two-dimensional alphanumeric barcodes, do not fully account for the peculiarities of electrochemical marking of arbitrary images (symbols, logos, pictograms).
The paper systematizes the optical criteria according to the current standard (contrast parameters) and proposes assumptions regarding their dependence on the state of the near-surface layer of stainless steels formed during electrochemical etching. Based on this, an expanded multi-level system of criteria is proposed, which includes geometric, optical, physical-mechanical, and operational parameters.
An analysis of the applicability of the criteria to the direct marking of arbitrary images was performed, and the unsuitability of parameters requiring fixed structural templates for assessing the quality of electrochemically etched symbols and logos was substantiated.
The proposed system of criteria is considered as a basis for combining standard methods for classifying direct marking symbols according to ISO/IEC 29158:2020 with phenomenological models of the electrochemical etching process and for the further development of methods for experimental validation of marking quality under industrial production conditions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Олександр Васильківський, Георгій Канашевич, Євген Хижняк, Віктор Васильченко

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