Uncountable has a number of barcoding features built into the platform to help customers connect their physical lab to their digital Uncountable database. In this article we will highlight the different types of barcodes available in the platform as well as some of the common use cases we see customers leveraging. Please note that the actual barcodes are completely configurable for your individual needs.
Types of Barcodes in Uncountable
1. Experiment Barcodes (“UNC”)
The first type of barcodes available for configuration are experiment barcodes. These are automatically generated for each experiment that is created in the platform. Scanning this barcode will bring you to the associated experiment. Experiment barcodes are denoted with a unique code that starts with ‘UNC’.
2. Inventory Barcodes (“INV”)
The other type of barcode in Uncountable is the inventory barcode. These barcodes are associated with ingredients or lots stored in our inventory system and are denoted with a unique code starting with ‘INV’. These barcodes can be scanned in our inventory system to filter to an ingredient. These barcodes can also be used in our barcode tracking system for quick modification of inventory quantities and an inventory location.
Please note that these are the default views of barcodes in the system. These are completely configurable based on your specific needs.
Accessing an Experiment or Inventory Barcode
To view your experiment’s barcode from the Enter pages, go to Actions > Label and select your label type (standard, QR code, custom, etc).
To view you an inventory barcode, navigate to its Inventory page and select “Show Barcode” in the top left corner.
Use Cases for Barcodes in Uncountable
1. QR codes
We know that space is sometimes at a premium on your physical experiments and inventory, and that barcodes can be too large to be useful. We can also implement a QR code custom label, which can be printed on much smaller labels. QR codes can be substituted for both experiment and inventory barcodes. Please reach out to your dedicated account manager for more information on how to best utilize the Uncountable barcoding functionality.
2. Inventory tracking/deprecation
One of the main ways we see customer’s utilizing barcoding in the Uncountable platform is to track inventory. When you scan an inventory barcode in the system (or manually enter the inventory barcode number) you’ll be met with a modal to change the amount of inventory available and/or the physical location where the item is stored.
3. Experiment tracking
Once customers affix experiment barcodes to their individual samples in the lab, the Uncountable barcode tracking system allows users to simply scan the physical item and get instantly connected to the digital record of the formulation that exists in the Uncountable platform.
4. Experiment addition to experiments
When adding experiments as intermediate ingredients to a new experiment, you can easily filter through a long list of available experiments by scanning an experiment’s barcode. We find this to be really helpful in facilitating sample handoffs between teams and building complex formulations in our platform.