Automotive Applications with N-Lase Desktop, Benchtop, Workstation

N-Lase Engraving in the Automotive Industry

• Benefits of automotive laser part marking

  The automotive industry is another industry that benefits from the use of laser technology to comply with traceability standards. Every vehicle – whether it’s a car, bus, motorcycle, farm machinery, or construction equipment – needs to be marked with a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) once it leaves the manufacturing facility. The VIN is a 17-character serial number that is commonly marked at various components of the vehicle such as the chassis and the engines. Moreover, automotive manufacturers regularly make their own marks on their parts, whether to serve their own tracking system or simply to provide branding.

  Laser machines have been used for years by automotive manufacturers for their ability to produce tamper-proof and easily identifiable marks. It’s also a fast procedure that will fit right into any manufacturing process without slowing it down – a 17-character VIN can be laser marked in only about 4 seconds. Being a non-contact method, automotive parts do not need to be clamped down before marking, avoiding secondary damage. Compared to a more traditional method such as dot-peen marking, the part to be marked using lasers do not undergo any unnecessary stress. Without the need to use fixtures or clamps, laser etching stainless steel also has unequalled flexibility in terms of marking newly designed and modified automotive parts.

  In such a large-scale level of production such as those found in the automotive industry and the manufacture of engineering parts, the reliability of the machines is invaluable. As an almost entirely automated process, stainless steel produces accurate results with a consistent quality all the time. Since the marking of parts is commonly a step done towards the end of the manufacturing process, an error in this step that results in a part being scrapped will be exceptionally costly and disruptive.

  Integration of a laser solution into the existing manufacturing process is made particularly easy with out-of-the-box turnkey solutions. Modern laser etching equipment has been designed to be easy to learn and use. Designs need not be made on any proprietary software, as most laser marking applications can import files created from the most common design software. Marking with dynamic data, such as part numbers and batch numbers, is well within the standard capabilities of most laser applications.

• Cost Efficient

  Compared to other methods of marking of automotive parts, laser etching technology is still more cost efficient. Being fully automated and having few moving parts, automotive marking using laser technology will deliver savings on workforce reduction and less frequent replacement of equipment parts. The reduction in secondary damage to parts because of the contactless nature of laser technology also means that you may see fewer production defects. Other etching methods, such as chemical etching, also involve the use of chemicals which are an additional cost and introduce more problems with regards to waste disposal.

• Fast production line marking

  Laser marking technology is also incredibly fast. Even highly detailed designs, such as small barcodes or QR codes on PCB’s, hardly take more than 5 seconds to finish. This means that incorporating laser marking to the automotive manufacturing process is quite seamless since it creates little to no disruption.

• Non-Contact technology

  Laser engraving for automotive parts is the only non-contact technology used to mark equipment parts and traceability codes. This means that there is very little wear and tear on the parts of the laser marking equipment, so repairs and parts and replacement should be very infrequent. Not coming into contact with the part being marked also means that there is little chance that the part will be damaged during the marking process. The same cannot be said for more traditional marking processes, such as dot-preen engraving.

• Permanent and Legible

  Aside from being precise and accurate, the marks made by laser etching technology are also known to be legible and permanent. This is incredibly important in automotive parts that experience incredibly high temperatures and frictional forces, such as components of the braking system or piston engine parts. A detailed study has shown that the brake rotor can heat up to a temperature of 900 °F when brakes are engaged at high speed so a part number that does not degrade with heat can be particularly important.