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25 September 2008

Rofin Laser Makes It?s Mark at Posithread UK Limited

Marking using lasers has become commonplace in many industries and applications indeed many of the every - day products which we take for granted, including the keyboard used to type these words, has been marked by a laser. There are however specialist or less common areas where lasers are used to mark products and we very rarely if ever hear about these. Products are marked with many different pieces of information and for many different reasons.

As a specialist manufacturer of high precision threading and grooving systems, Posithread UK Limited prides its self on having one of the world’s most comprehensive ranges of Threading Inserts, Thread Mills, Grooving Tools and Tool Holders. The company has attained this enviable reputation by providing high quality innovative solutions to threading and grooving applications for over 20 years. A careful choice of carbide grades, unique chip breaker designs and a range of insert coatings mean that whenever a thread needs to be cut – whether it is a miniature thread form or up to 1 Acme in size -there is a Posithread insert and tool holder to suit the application.

These high quality tooling components, often designed and manufactured to unique customer specifications, must be correctly marked and identified prior to shipping to the end user. More importantly, it is essential that these parts can be identified time and time again when they are being used within an arduous manufacturing environment. For certain industries such as Oil and Gas, many components are safety critical parts and manufacturing a part using the wrong threading insert or machining an incorrect thread form could have serious consequences if the part fails in use. It is essential therefore that the identification marks on the individual inserts and tool holders remain clearly visible.

Posithread first discovered the benefits of Laser Marking their components some 13 years ago. However, with major advances in Laser technology and the evolution of dedicated marking systems in recent years, Posithread decided to look again at the market and subsequently made the decision to invest in a new EasyMark II system from Rofin-Baasel UK Limited.

Compact, Versatile and Operator Friendly
EasyMark II is accepted as one of the most compact laser marking devices on the market. It operates from a single phase 240 volt power source and does not require any external cooling. Having a fully enclosed marking area, EasyMark II is designated as a laser class 1 device and therefore has the same safety requirements and classification as a CD player. The heart of the system is a diode pumped Nd:YVO4 laser source which is capable of marking a wide range of materials, including metals and plastics. The additional rotary axis used by Posithread enables the system to mark both flat and curved components with the minimum of operation intervention. With a marking field of 120mm x 120mm and the capacity to accommodate components up to 450mm x 150mm x 200mm in size, the system easily fulfils the marking requirements of Posithread.

Another major advantage of the EasyMark II is the fact that the system is desk top mounted and if required, portable. Occupying an absolute minimum of floor space, over 20,000 Posithread components per month, pass through this non contact, abrasion resistant, permanent marking system. Rofin’s Visual LaserMarker software allows the creation of the marking characters and layout together with the subsequent transfer of the marking contents using a standard PC environment. Focusing and positioning aids ensure that the device can be easily operated by anyone following a brief introduction to the system.


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