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Permanent DataMatrix marking for Chestny ZNAK

A growing share of goods entering the Russian market must carry a unique DataMatrix code. Where a paper label can be peeled, abraded or washed off without consequence, this is a printing job. On a metal part it is not. There the code has to go into the part itself — and at that point it becomes a marking-machine job.

This page is not about what the code means. It is about how it gets onto your part: which method suits which surface, the real area the symbol will occupy, and the grade class that turns "readable" into something measurable.

What the code contains, and how much room it needs

A Chestny ZNAK code has four parts: a 14-digit GTIN, a 13-character unique serial, a 4-character verification key and a 44-character crypto code — roughly 85 alphanumeric characters in total. That typically lands on a DataMatrix symbol of around 32×32 modules.

In practice: in dot-peen marking every module is one strike, so about a thousand strikes. At a 0.3–0.5 mm dot pitch the symbol occupies roughly a 10–16 mm square and takes a meaningful cycle time per part. That is unremarkable on a valve body or the flat of a casting. It is not on a small, narrow face.

The smaller the part, the smaller each module, and the thinner the read margin becomes. Choosing the surface is therefore not a cosmetic decision — it is the first thing that decides whether the code reads at all.

Which method for which part

Surface, wall thickness and the room the symbol needs decide the method. The rows below are systems we build.

  • Valves, fittings, couplings

    Surface
    Brass, steel, stainless
    Method
    Dot-peen marking
    System
    Dotpeenator™ CO9 / SA14 benchtop

    The flat body face gives the symbol enough room.

  • Castings and forgings

    Surface
    Cast iron, steel, aluminium
    Method
    Dot-peen marking
    System
    Dotpeenator™ DT144 / VR250 station

    A rough surface raises contrast; the grade usually holds comfortably.

  • Large bodies, chassis, equipment

    Surface
    Steel, aluminium
    Method
    Portable dot-peen marking
    System
    Dotpeenator™ PR144 / PR94E portable

    When the part cannot come to the machine, the machine goes to the part.

  • Cylindrical parts, shafts, tube

    Surface
    Steel, stainless
    Method
    Dot-peen with a rotary axis
    System
    With the Dotpeenator™ R80 / R100 indexer

    The part turns on the axis so the symbol stays on a flat plane.

  • Surgical and medical instruments

    Surface
    Stainless steel, titanium
    Method
    Fibre laser marking
    System
    MarkBOX-TC fibre laser

    Must survive autoclave, disinfectant and UV; dot-peen also suits heavier instruments.

  • Thin-walled bodies and profiles

    Surface
    Aluminium, thin sheet
    Method
    Fibre laser marking
    System
    MarkBOX-TC fibre laser

    A strike can deform the wall, so a non-deforming method is preferred.

Filled mark: solved directly from our catalogue. Hollow mark: depends on the part — we settle it with a sample.

Readable is not the requirement — the grade is

Chestny ZNAK does not ask for a code that is "readable"; it asks for a measurable quality grade. The reference standard is GOST R ISO/IEC 15415. Grade A (4.0) is high, B (3.0) acceptable and C (2.0) the minimum. A code below C is non-compliant even if you can plainly see it.

On metal that grade is set not by ink but by contrast: strike depth, surface roughness, gloss and lighting angle. The same machine running the same program can produce a grade-A code on a ground face and a sub-C one on a polished face.

One detail is routinely missed at verification: 15415 was written for printed symbols. Direct part marks are conventionally graded under AIM DPM (ISO/IEC 29158), which defines different lighting and aperture conditions. Your verifier setup therefore matters as much as the mark. Measuring this on a sample before production is cheaper than arguing about a whole batch afterwards.

The requirement in numbers

C (2.0)

Minimum grade class

GOST R ISO/IEC 15415 — A (4.0) high, B (3.0) acceptable.

~85

Characters

GTIN + serial + verification key + crypto code.

10–16 mm

Symbol side

A 32×32 module symbol at a 0.3–0.5 mm dot pitch.

Permanent

For the life of the part

Still readable after washing, oil, heat and handling.

Frequently asked

The questions manufacturers ask most about Chestny ZNAK marking.

Will a dot-peened DataMatrix code read in the Chestny ZNAK system?

Yes, provided the symbol is marked at the right size and holds the required grade class. What decides it is not the method but the resulting contrast and module size. Reading a direct part mark requires a DPM-capable reader and appropriate lighting.

Will an 85-character code fit on a small part?

Not always. A 32×32 module symbol typically needs a 10–16 mm square in dot-peen. Where the part cannot give that area, either the surface changes or a method with a finer module is used. Send us the part dimensions and the intended face and we will answer it on a sample.

What happens if the grade drops below C?

The code counts as non-compliant. That you can see it, or read it with a phone, changes nothing — the measurement is made with a verifier. This is why the surface and the marking parameters should be measured before series production starts.

Can the marking machine be connected to our ERP or serial-number system?

Yes. Because the code is unique per part, typing it in by hand is both slow and a source of error. The machine can be fed the code from your production system, which also records every part that was marked.

Can we run a trial on our own part?

Yes, and it is the cheapest way to take the steps in the right order. You send the part, we mark the code on it, measure it and report back. That tells you whether the surface holds the grade, whether the symbol fits and what the cycle time will be — before a purchase decision.

Send us your part, we will mark a sample

Tell us the dimensions, the material and the face to be marked. We will measure which method suits it, the area the symbol needs and the grade class you can expect — on a real sample.