Laser Applications within the Automotive Industry

Automotive Laser Marking of parts and components

In the past decade, the automotive industry has undergone a period of growth and evolution, unlike anything it has experienced before. The battle was no longer played in terms of horsepower or acceleration. Instead, customers wanted cars that had better fuel efficiency, required less maintenance, and were smarter. There is one aspect, though, that has remained a constant area of improvement – safety. Tracking and traceability of parts is an essential aspect in the automotive manufacturing industry, and this is where the technology of automotive laser marking parts and automotive laser etching has played a critical role.

Stainless steel Laser engraving and the automotive industry

There are various advantages to automotive laser etching that has made it the technology of choice for automotive manufacturers. It is a well developed technology with various turnkey solutions which can be easily integrated into any production line. Our laser marking system commonly comes bundled with its own software package which has been designed to be user-friendly and with a small learning curve.

The system can work with dynamic data to make progressive marks with minimal user intervention. Being almost entirely automated, laser marking systems are not labour intensive and will free up technical operators to concentrate on the more involved steps of the manufacturing process. The low level of user intervention also means that laser engraving technology is highly accurate, consistent, and reliable. Since laser marking systems have very few moving parts, its maintenance needs are also lower compared to other similar technologies.

Benefits of Laser Engraving Machines

The automotive industry is another industry that benefits from the use of laser engraving 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.

Integrated Lasers in the Automotive Industries

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

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 a laser engraving machine 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.

Laser Engraving in the Automotive Industry