Cognex Corporation (www.cognex.com) announces the availability of an innovative field-of-view expansion technology for its DataMan® 300 series of image-based barcode readers called Xpand™. Xpand technology enables retail distribution, parcel and postal applications to be solved using fewer readers, which reduces installation time, setup duration and overall cost.

“The DataMan 300, which was released last year, has exceeded customer expectations with its ease-of-use and high read rates. With the addition of Xpand technology, the field of view of a single DataMan 300 can be increased by more than 50%,” says Carl Gerst, Vice President and Business Unit Manager, ID Products. “This technology significantly expands the addressable market for the DataMan 300 in logistics by allowing a single unit to see more of the belt.”

 “The pressure for distribution centers to increase productivity and reduce labor cost has never been greater. The increased read rates that Cognex barcode readers deliver means a smaller number of packages need to be handled manually and fewer workers are required for relabeling or rerouting rejects.”

The Xpand accessory was designed specifically for use with the high-performance DataMan 300 series of barcode readers. DataMan barcode systems are a better choice than laser scanners because they deliver higher read rates, provide visual performance feedback and have a longer product life. DataMan readers combine the performance of Cognex image-based products with the cost and ease-of-use of laser scanners.

 Xpand for the DataMan 300 reader is available now.