Marking for identification and traceability

Pryor Marking Technology has launched a part-marking service for the identification and traceability of components or finished items.

Pryor Marking Technology (Pryor) has launched a part-marking service.

The service is aimed at anyone who has specific marking requirements for either components or finished items, and builds on Pryor's proven expertise in marking and traceability technology.

Users of the service will be able to have components or parts marked to the relevant standard for their industry and these include AS9132, AIM DPM, MIL-STD-130M, JES131, ISO/IEC15415 and ISO/IEC15434.

Mark Wadsworth, business development manager at Pryor, said: "We have developed this service in response to initial demand from suppliers to the aerospace market, where part identification and traceability has become a key requisite for any supplier.

However, we believe that more and more engineering and manufacturing organisations are recognising the value of UID (unique identification) and part traceability as part of their own drive towards better quality and a more sophisticated approach to the management of processes and production.

He continued: "These organisations cannot always justify the financial outlay for marking equipment so now they can come to Pryor to fulfil all their marking needs." Pryor has established a dedicated team to provide this fast, reliable, low cost, high value service to customers.

The final method of marking will be determined by design/customer specifications, the nature of the material being marked, its commercial value, and how, when and where the mark is going to be read later in the item's life.

However the main marking options are:- Laser marking - This is the ideal solution for organisations requiring fixed or variable marking onto a range of materials.

It is a high speed accurate method of marking, in which company logos etc can be reproduced on to the component; 2D Data Matrix solutions - These utilise a range of marking and vision technologies to direct part mark and decode 2D Data Matrix code; Electro-chemical etching - This is the etching of components by "on-demand" inscription formatting for alpha numeric, symbols or Data Matrix marking.

Whilst it is envisaged that most marking will take place at Pryor's Sheffield headquarters, the team can provide a mobile marking solution as was recently required by one health authority in the Midlands that wanted to mark all the surgical instruments used throughout its operating theatres.

This was an extra measure taken as part of a comprehensive programme to alleviate cross contamination and infection; and enables the hospital to track which instruments have been used in which theatres and for which operations.

Each instrument bears its own unique inscription that can be read time and time again and also withstand the rigours of a thorough sterilisation process after each period of use.

Rather than remove all the items from the hospital, Pryor was able to take portable marking equipment with them to the site and the marking was done on the hospital premises.

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