Product category:
Laser marking systems
News Release from: Rofin-Baasel UK | Subject: Laser marking panels
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 January 2008
Laser marking car radio panels
Under computer control, a laser beam removes micron thick layers of a black topcoat in the exact pattern of pre-programmed letters and symbols, without mechanical contact, abrasion or pressure.
Car radio front panels are injection moulded, generally in batch volumes, from transparent plastics The parts are then transported to the paint line, where one side is sprayed, first with an undercoat of white paint and then with a top coat of black
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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* laser marking - the next step in the production process is then to remove some of the black paint, so that letters and numbers appear white.
Using Rofin lasers, a typical laser marking system consists of a laser head, a control cabinet and a computer screen and keyboard.
Under computer control, the laser beam removes micron thick layers of the black topcoat in the exact pattern of pre-programmed letters and symbols.
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There is no mechanical contact, no abrasion and no pressure.
The result is white characters clearly and crisply defined against the black background.
At night, these characters are backlit for easy recognition.
* Laser marking is clean, quiet, fast - the advantages of this type of automated and innovative production process are substantial.
Laser marking is clean, quiet and fast.
One European manufacturer has been using laser marking technology with this type of system from Rofin for many years.
Working three shifts per day, each laser system completes about 3,500 front panels.
Computer controlled operation makes for extreme flexibility.
Changing the markings for a new product is done simply by entering new text or laser parameters at the computer keyboard.
If the marking pattern is a repeat, the program is recalled instantly from computer memory.
This laser marking process was the outcome of successful teamwork between Rofin applications engineers together with plastics and paint producers.
New paint systems and computer software had to be developed.
This technique requires paints which are highly opaque and fast-drying, so that the different paint layers do not mix.
To stand up to the heavy wear on radio controls, the paint must also be highly durable.
Customized, high-performance software, designed to handle extensive and special character sets, contributed significantly to the very high marking speeds and production rates.
* One laser, two marking heads - typical laser sources for this application are centred around 1064nm and include Nd:YAG Nd YV04 and Fibre Lasers.
The laser beam can be divided equally by a beam splitting mirror and directed simultaneously to two marking heads.
Each marking head is equipped with two galvanometer scanner mirrors and a flat-field lens.
Splitting the laser beam effectively doubles the productivity of the laser system.
Another contributing factor which enables the high processing speeds are the special lenses which focus the laser beam.
The flat-field lens design provides a marking field 230mm in diameter for each head, permitting two radio panels to be marked simultaneously under each lens.
* Fast and flexible - directing the laser beam - laser markers must be capable of producing a wide range of characters and symbols in frequently changing combinations.
Essential to the efficiency of this whole process is the technique for delivering and directing the laser beam.
This task is handled by the two galvanometer mirrors in each marking head which precisely direct the laser beam at constant speed over the surface of the front panel, vaporizing the top layer of paint in the required patterns.
In addition to its flexibility, another significant advantage of this beam directing system is its compatibility with a high degree of automation in the manufacturing process.
All operations can be computer controlled.
User software not only controls scanning mirror movements, but also sets and maintains laser parameters such as power, pulse duration and frequency.
Once the required markings have been entered via the computer keyboard, software generates fonts, graphics and logos.
Laser markers can also be equipped and synchronized with automated handling systems to further enhance productivity.
The laser systems installed at this customer's facility are classified by the industry as Class 1 systems.
This means that all laser energy is confined within the system enclosure.
If the machine guarding for example, is opened, the laser system is shut down immediately.
Vaporized paint particles are removed by a multi-stage air filtration system and during its routine operating cycle, the system produces no harmful particulates or hazardous emissions.
To further ensure safe operation, panels to be marked are fed to the marking stations on rotary indexers or linear indexing systems.
The panels are held in position accurately by fixtures which are designed for easy loading and unloading.
Whilst the laser is marking one set of articles, the operator removes finished panels and inserts new blanks, in a completely safe operating environment.
* Applications for 'Day and Night Design' - car radio front panels are just one example of a 'Day and Night' design produced by laser marking.
There are many others, such as on electric window switches, indicator stalks and around each of the individual control switches on an instrument panel.
Any piece of equipment where operating controls must be located and identified under varying light conditions is a candidate.
Amongst these are stereo systems, telephones and many types of display and control panels. Request a free brochure from Rofin-Baasel UK ...
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