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North Ridge Pumps

Laser Engraving a reflective material

Made in Britain logo

Bringing traceability laser engraving in-house at North Ridge Pumps

Company:
North Ridge Pumps
Industry:
Pump Manufacturing
Product:
N-LASE Desktop

The Brief

North Ridge Pumps are an independent manufacturer and distributor of pumps. They work within a range of industries both in the UK and internationally.

Like many manufacturers of industrial equipment, North Ridge Pumps produce systems that need to be traceable – this means applying a permanent mark onto a plate to be attached to the pumps. North Ridge Pumps were outsourcing their plate marking to an external company. This brought with it its own set of challenges:

  • Inconsistency: outsourcing meant that North Ridge Pumps were unable to conduct any quality assurance on the plates being marked, so inconsistencies were commonplace.
  • Expense: Inconsistencies would then require for corrections and replacements to be ordered. This, along with outsourcing margins, meant higher costs to their business.
  • Limited Control: If North Ridge needed to change their plate design, alter key information at the last minute, or even change the plate supplier, this would need to be done through the middle man.
  • Longer turnaround times: All of the above challenges increased the time taken to get parts marked and traceable so they can be shipped to their customers.

North Ridge Pumps' interest in investing in their own laser technology was rooted in a desire to speed up their processes, offer a higher quality finish for their customers and ensure less repair costs and wasted raw materials. Pablo Martinez-Moore, their Commercial and Marketing Director, got in touch to see how we could help them.

The Solution

Our work with North Ridge Pumps was a perfect example of our need to adapt to the Coronavirus pandemic. During this time, we moved to conducting 'virtual demos 'with our customers, utilising software such as Teams and Zoom. We engraved some plates for North Ridge Pumps via video which was then sent to them for inspection. 

The N-Lase Desktop was identified as the right solution for North Ridge Pumps. The Desktop is compact but still feature rich, with a robust enclosure to withstand the harshest manufacturing environments. 

Having found the right solution, our production team got to work building the laser here at our HQ in Whitchurch – we are proud to have the ‘Made in Britain’ badge on all our laser systems.

Our engineers installed the machine at North Ridge Pumps and provided a full day of training for the team, to ensure that they were able to get the most out of their machine with knowledge of basic functions and mark settings. Our inhouse tech team in Whitchurch are always on hand at the end of the phone should our customer’s need additional assistance or any technical support.

The Impact

For North Ridge Pumps, along with all industrial manufacturers who are placing products on the GB market, it is essential that UKCA marks are applied consistently and accurately to meet new UK regulations. The ability to apply these marks in-house means that North Ridge Pumps have the peace of mind that all of their pumps will be compliant for distribution.

One of the real selling points for North Ridge Pumps was the fact that we are a UK-based company, which enables us to always be on hand should they need our aftersales support.

We are not just in the business of selling machines, but also of building lifelong partnerships with our customers. We are pleased to be working with our partners at North Ridge Pumps and we look forward to sharing our passion for innovations in laser technologies with them for years to come.

One of the main reasons for choosing Needham Laser Tech was it's UK-based support and training.

Pablo Martinez-Moore, Commercial & Marketing Director, North Ridge Pumps

The N-Lase Range

Meet our Industrial ID lasers

N-Lase Desktop

The N-Lase Desktop is our entry-level laser marking system for industrial identification applications, perfect for marking, etching, engraving and annealing all metals, coated metals, plastics and some organic materials.

The Desktop is the ideal solution for low to mid-volume throughput and is an affordable alternative to more traditional methods of marking, such as dot peen, electrochemical etching or hand marking. Despite being entry-level and affordable we haven’t sacrificed on quality or efficiency; our N-Lase Desktop comes with either our 20 Watt or 50 Watt MOPA fiber laser with a MTBF of 100,000 marking hours and a 3-year comprehensive warranty, as standard.

N-Lase Desktop Pro

The N-Lase Desktop Pro is the most popular laser in our N-Lase range. Designed for marking, etching, engraving and annealing almost all materials in mid to high-volume applications, the Desktop Pro is a full turnkey solution which includes an integrated All-in-One PC and an automatic door function to ensure maximum efficiency and simple operation.

The N-Lase Desktop Pro can be fitted with either our 20 Watt or 50 Watt MOPA fiber laser sources with a MTBF of 100,000 marking hours. Like all products within our N-Lase range the Desktop Pro comes with a 3-year comprehensive warranty, as standard.

N-Lase Benchtop

The N-Lase Benchtop is the ‘big cousin’ to the Desktop Pro. It has the same style and design but on a much larger scale, so maximum versatility for industries wishing to mark, etch and engrave big parts. As the name suggested, the Benchtop is designed to sit on a bench/worktop within existing manufacturing cells and processes.

Due to its larger footprint and modular design, the N-Lase Benchtop can offer a broad range of optional extras such as XY marking tables for increased throughput, large marking area lenses (up to 280mm x 280mm), big rotary attachments for circumference marking on large diameter parts and power sources from 20 watt up to 100 watt for maximum speed and depth.

With our 3-year comprehensive warranty, the N-Lase Benchtop is the ideal solution for the efficient and reliable etching of heavy-duty parts in industrial environments.

N-Lase Workstation

The N-Lase Workstation offers our biggest enclosure mounted onto a portable base to offer maximum flexibility. The Workstation can be located within an existing manufacturing process or operate as a standalone marking and traceability station. With an integrated PC and auto door function, the N-Lase Workstation is a truly turnkey solution; simply wheel into the desired location and start etching.

With such a large enclosure, the N-Lase Workstation can be fitted with a wide range of options to further increase efficiencies and offer maximum throughput. Options include XY marking tables to facilitate the loading of multiple parts, large marking area lenses (up to 280mm x 280mm), big rotary attachments for circumference marking on large diameter parts and power sources from 20 Watt up to 100 Watt for maximum speed and depth.

As with all our N-Lase range, maximum reliability and robustness is assured with our 3-year comprehensive warranty.

N-Lase Integrated

Designed for integration into production, manufacturing and assembly lines, our N-Lase Integrated models offer high reliability, speed and flexibility in a convenient form factor. A wide range of laser power outputs on our standard system allow marking on a diverse variety of substrates, whereas the Integrated Max is suitable for more powerful hungry applications and much larger laser modules. N-Lase Integrated systems are maintenance free and will provide you with years upon years of trouble-free operation

N-Lase Handheld

Laser without limits with the N-Lase Handheld. This model allows you to move the system to wherever (and whatever) needs to be marked. Ease and usability is at the forefront of the design, including a counterbalanced laser head to ensure safe movement and use. Whether it's a plaque on a wall or a plate on the floor, this model is ready for the challenge.

60+ years in industry

Heritage & market-leading knowledge

The Needham Group and its subsidiaries have been a part of the ever-developing coding and marking industry since 1962; identifying industry needs whilst simultaneously importing and developing exciting, practical and innovative products to suit.

Community-driven

Customer service at our core

Every day we share our passion and excitement for British manufacturing and innovation in laser technologies with each of our partners; from supplier and supply chain right through to end-user.

Short lead times

Delivery in weeks, not months

We design, develop and manufacture our lasers at our HQ in Shropshire; allowing for lean manufacturing, better efficiencies and speedy response times in our manufacturing, ultimately getting your products to you in weeks rather than months.

Made in Britain & Safety Regulations

We are proud to wear the Made in Britain badge, where all of our lasers are manufactured at our HQ in Shropshire. Combining over 60 years of company heritage with exquisite design and Great British engineering, we take great pride in our heritage and our commitment to producing quality products that represent the very best of British craftsmanship. Our loyal customers can be assured that when they choose us, they are investing in a product made with the utmost care and attention to detail.

The UK has the world's most rigorous regulatory requirements for laser safety.
We are proud to align our UK design and manufacturing with said regulations.
We are also certified members of AILU. - https://www.ailu.org.uk/

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