|
Information Page Links:
Featured Marking Machinery Manufacturers
About Marking Machinery
Marking Machinery Terms
Marking Machinery Associations
Marking Machinery Resources
Trade Shows
Featured Marking Machinery Articles
More Articles
|
|
About Marking Machinery
Marking machinery consists of a broad category of equipment
used to create designs, images, logos, identification codes or other
markings on a product. Once considered optional, marking machinery is
now a feature that adds value to a product. In some instances, counterfeiting
is a problem. Customer recognition is also valuable. Sometimes, it is
necessary to mark products in order to trace them for warranty return.
Many businesses in the automotive, medical and aerospace industries refuse
to even consider purchasing inadequately marked products from suppliers.
Many common everyday products have been marked with those products fabricated
by marking machine manufacturers. While metal marking remains a common
marking system process, marking machinery marks other materials, such
as paper, plastic, wood, leather, glass, fabric and textiles. Credit
cards, jewelry, writing utensils, packaging, greeting cards, wood trim
and glass sculptures represent the wide range of materials on which marking
machinery systems are used. Marking machinery can also produce marks
for tracking parts within the whole manufacturing process, making the
marks invaluable for quality assurance. Because of the variety of marking
applications and techniques, the machines made by marking machine manufacturers
can be found in almost every industry. Industries utilizing marking machinery
include the computer, electronic, packaging, construction, woodworking
and plastics processing industries.
Marking machinery uses a variety of techniques, including laser marking,
plasma etching and hot stamping to create designs. Laser marking is an
environmentally friendly process that utilizes a high energy beam of
laser radiation to directly mark the surface of materials. The types
of laser marking are classified according to the length of the beam.
Plasma etching is divided into two categories: vacuum type, the most
common process, and normal-pressure type. In the vacuum type, plasma
is generated from gases, such as oxygen, under vacuum pressure to activate
the molding surfaces. This type is the most effective for the purpose
of surface modification but is inferior in workability, since it must
be a batch process and can cause deterioration of moldings if the processing
time is too long. There are two different methods of hot stamping, as
well. In using a stamp press, a metallic stamp is heated with a hot plate
and a foil is pressed on the surface of the molded part. Hot stamping
using a rubber press is very similar to that in which a stamp press is
used, except that a heat-resistant rubber plate is heated.
Marking machine manufacturers produce a variety of machines and models.
The proper selection of marking machinery systems depends on a variety
of factors, including industrial application, product material and product
volume. Hand stamping is cheap and easy to implement, but it is labor
intensive and inconsistent. Chemical etching is also inexpensive, but
it too provides inconsistent results. Ink jets are faster but are an
impermanent and environmentally hazardous solution. Presses can make
fast, permanent marks, but they are not very flexible and are time consuming
to set up. They also cannot be used on hard or fragile parts and can
be dangerous to operate. Before choosing marking machinery that is appropriate
for the application, consider the cost of spare parts of the marking
machinery, the difficulty of maintenance, the size of the marking system
and the degree of difficulty of integrating the system with other systems
already in place.
Featured
Articles
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5347/is/200003/ai_n21453080
Types of Marking Machines
-
use a CO2 laser system to mark metal tools and parts with barcodes and
serial numbers. The markings are permanent and impervious to scratching,
lubricants, salt water spray and abrasion.
- a product with a code to convey information
such as the product packaging date and expiration date.
- imprint patterns on paper or
thin card to produce tactile Braille symbols. The products manufactured
by computer controlled Braille embossers vary according to whether
they have been developed for home use or production.
- use a metal die to leave a 3D implant on a surface.
- cuts into a product to produce a wide variety
of characters that can then be colored. Engraving is a common
metal marking
technique often used to mark round objects, such as jewelry,
cables and wires.
- use chemicals and acids to engrave metal surfaces.
- consists of a press containing a heated printing
head and an engraved die, which can produce holograms, credit
card characters and many different package designs. The press pushes
hot stamping foil on to flat paper, plastic, wood, leather, or
certain
fabrics, leaving the design imprinted on the material in the
color of the foil.
- mark objects through laser radiation. No contact
occurs between the laser marking system and the product,
making this process advantageous in marking sensitive products, such
as glass.
- works manually or automatically to mark products,
such as license plates, tags and keys, with bar codes and
other numbers.
- consist of cylindrical roller dies with engraved
impressions of the required design, which produce indentations
and graduations on an object. Roll marking is used on products
with flat
or round surfaces.
|
|
