Case study
Traceability marking that has to endure years outdoors
Once a surge arrester goes into service, its caps are exposed outdoors for the entire life of the component; the marking therefore needs to remain readable in the field, well beyond the end of the production line.
Precise marking of small parts while keeping the manual line on pace
Given the cap’s reduced dimensions, positioning had to be exact every time, and a target cycle time of 20 seconds meant no manual repositioning step could be added to the process.
A standard L-BOX fibre laser with a custom-designed locating bracket
Rather than engineering a special machine, SIC MARKING kept the L-BOX in its standard configuration and added a locating fixture that positions every small cap accurately, in line with PROLEC’s budget.
Traceability you can count on, from the plant floor to the field
The caps come off the line with a mark durable enough to remain readable outdoors, which gives PROLEC assurance of traceability over the entire service life of the arrester.
PROLEC builds polymeric surge arresters for the electricity generation industry. Each arrester is equipped with a stainless steel cap, with no surface finish, on which the part’s traceability data is marked: logo, month and year of manufacture, plus the power rating.
Since surge arresters operate outdoors once in service, the cap marking has to hold up well beyond the controlled environment of the plant. PROLEC required a marking process that would stay readable under outdoor environmental conditions for the full operating life of the component, in order to secure traceability of every part in the field.
Measuring 52.40 mm in outer diameter, 13 mm in inner diameter and 8 mm in thickness, the cap is a small part that calls for accurate positioning to achieve a consistent mark. The target was a 20-second cycle time per part, on a manual station with no data link, running at room temperature in a clean zone.
Because the stainless steel has no surface finish, the mark needed to offer enough contrast for direct visual reading as well as enough resistance to hold up under outdoor exposure, within a solution that fit the client’s budget.
SIC MARKING recommended a fibre laser marking solution, a technology that produces a durable mark directly on bare stainless steel with no added consumables, meeting PROLEC’s legibility requirement for outdoor conditions.
The laser is housed in a standard L-BOX machine, complete with a locating device that positions the caps accurately on every marking cycle despite their small size. The system stayed in a standard configuration, suitable for a manual station with no data link operating at room temperature, which matched PROLEC’s operating needs as well as its budget.
For the operator, the solution offers simple, turnkey operation, with several parts marked in a single cycle. It has helped avoid scrap due to marking errors, while giving PROLEC a marking durable enough to maintain traceability once the surge arresters are deployed outdoors.
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