QR codes are often treated like magic buttons. You scan them and something happens: a website opens, an app starts, a document appears. That experience has shaped expectations.
But in reality, a QR code does exactly one thing: it stores text.
Understanding that simple fact is key if you want to use QR codes reliably in CAD, Vault, Fusion Manage, and downstream processes.
A QR code contains text. That’s it.
The reason scanning often feels interactive is because many scanners apply their own logic to the scanned content. Phone cameras, for example, check whether the text looks like a web link. If it does, a browser opens. If it doesn’t, the text is simply shown or searched.
Engineering identifiers like filenames or part numbers don’t fit this consumer model. They scan correctly, but there is no obvious action to take unless the scanning application understands their meaning.
This is where most misconceptions come from: the QR code works, but the scanner has no context.
Three ways to make QR codes useful in Vault environments
Once you accept that QR codes are just carriers, the real design choice becomes: who should interpret the content, and where?
Thick client links technically work, but they assume a Windows device with the Vault Client installed. Scanning such a QR code downloads an .acr file that must be opened manually. This limits their usefulness to very controlled scenarios, such as Windows tablets. We wrote this article Thick Client Links on Steroids on how to improve that experience.
Thin client (web) links are broadly compatible. Any device with a browser can open them, which makes them a solid option for internal users scanning printed drawings or PDFs. The trade-off is that thin client access is typically limited to the company network and currently does not support Vault Gateway access. This may change in future.
Vault Mobile takes a different approach. It does not react to hyperlinks at all. The user must open the app and scan the QR code intentionally. In return, Vault Mobile can work from anywhere via Vault Gateway access. This makes it powerful for employees around the globe but might be inadequate for suppliers or customers as it provides access to too much information. For more details about the Vault Mobile App, read this article: How to search for files in the Vault Mobile App using the QR/Bar Code Search function.
Sometimes none of the built-in options fit the actual requirement.
External suppliers or customers, for example, often should not see full Vault structures or metadata. Or specific employees require a more dedicated user experience. In these cases, both thin client and Vault Mobile may expose more information than intended, or have not the perfect user experience.
A custom application can solve this by taking full control over user experience and data access. The QR code may contain a simple identifier or token, or even a complex instruction set. The app resolves it against Vault and presents only the intended data, in a controlled and simplified interface.
It might be that one of your shop floor machines can scan QR codes to identify the correct program to be used. Then this could be another scenario where QR code can provide more efficiency and process reliability.
Here, the QR code becomes a stable reference, while behavior, security, and presentation are handled explicitly.
To know more about how to add QR codes to your PDFs, read more here: Is this the right drawing?
QR codes don’t define workflows. They connect them.
Choosing what to put into a QR code means deciding which application should interpret it, under which conditions, and for which audience. Once that decision is made consciously, QR codes stop being confusing and start becoming a reliable part of your engineering data flow.