QR code generator for part marking

Stack metal glare, dust, oil film, and scratches in as many layouts as you need. Use it for scan tests on the shop floor.

Lot numbers and URLs stay on this device. The code is drawn in your browser.

Sample data stays here until you type your own.

#000000
#FFFFFF

Four modules is the usual minimum. The dark squares stay the same size; only the white ring grows. Glare on metal often needs more.

Test overlays on this preview

The first layout never changes. Shuffle only when you want the same defects in new places.

Sample data

Clean mark — overlays off.

How to check a QR for marking

  1. Enter the lot, serial, or URL you will actually mark.
  2. For nameplates, keep square modules and high correction. Set the quiet zone to at least four modules, and try eight on a shiny surface.
  3. On the compare sheet, scan each cell with the same phone or gun, under similar light. If a cell fails, widen the margin or raise correction before you cut metal.

Stack several defects in one trial

You can stack dust, oil, scratches, a fixture clip, and metal glare instead of testing one defect at a time. Scan before you mark. The file you send to marking stays clean.

A part-marking QR shown as a clean baseline, with no dirt or glare. Use it to tell the marking file from the test overlays. This frame is black and white modules plus a light margin only.
Clean mark (baseline)
A trial QR with dust and oil film on a part mark, to preview how powder and cutting fluid flatten contrast. Speckle covers the code; brown blotches sit by the top-left and bottom-right finders.
Dust and oil film
A trial QR with dust, oil, scratches, and metal glare stacked at once, showing defects can be combined. The top-right finder is washed out; white scratch lines, brown blotches, and speckle remain.
Several defects stacked

Tips

High correction is for nameplates, not posters

Oil mist, powder, and a fixture that clips a corner are why nameplates run high correction. A QR on a slide can stay compact. The percentage is not a promise that a dirty scan will still read.

Use square modules for laser and peen

Rounded or dotted modules belong on cards and menus. A marking head wants squares so the finder stays a finder after the beam.

Scan under the same light as the line

The overlay is a rehearsal. Download a test PNG or print the sheet, then read it with the gun or phone you actually use, under the same lamp. Send a clean file to marking.

On metal, glare eats the quiet zone

On brushed or plated metal, light from a lamp or window fills the white margin around the code. Four modules is the usual floor; shiny nameplates often need more. Use the compare sheet to see that—not as a pass/fail spec.

Common Use Cases

🔩

Stainless nameplate

A lot and serial on a brushed plate. Try eight modules of quiet zone and the glare cell before the laser program is signed off.

📥

Incoming labels

A vendor QR that failed at receiving. Line up dust and oil at the same quiet zone as the artwork, then decide reprint versus process.

🛠️

Work-instruction sticker

A painted cover that collects cutting fluid. The oil-film cell is closer to that cover than a perfect download.

📦

Casting lot mark

A QR in a recess that powder and flash sit in. Edge clip plus dust is the usual pair to put on the sheet.

📐

Fixture that eats the margin

A clamp that covers one side of the code in the nest. The edge-clip cell is the check before you mill the pocket smaller.

🔁

Reprint after a line fail

The gun failed at pack-out. Generate the same data, print the sheet, and see whether quiet zone or dirt is the cheaper fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the marked part scan if the overlay is readable?
No. This is a trial on a screen or a print, not a guarantee for the metal, the ink, or the scanner on your line. Use it to drop bad settings before you cut.
What is a QR quiet zone?
The white margin around the modules. If a fixture, a print edge, or glare fills that margin, many readers never lock onto the finder. Four modules is the usual minimum; metal often needs more.
Why do QR codes fail on shiny metal?
Glare washes dark modules and the white margin into the same tone. Widening the quiet zone and keeping contrast high are the usual first moves. The glare cell is a picture of that wash, not a lab measurement.
Should I mark from a PNG or an SVG?
SVG stays sharp when marking software scales it. PNG is what you print for a scan trial, including the test overlay. Keep the clean download for the program; keep the test download off the plate.
Does this tool upload my lot number?
No. The code is drawn in your browser. Lot numbers and URLs never leave this device.
How much damage can QR error correction handle?
A higher level recovers more missing modules, which is why nameplates usually sit at the top setting. That is not a license to cover a third of the code. Confirm with the compare sheet and the reader you will use.