RSSBack

18 July 2016

TLM distributes lasers that secure part traceability for automotive fuel vent valves

Reliability, consistency and traceability are mandatory attributes for components being supplied into the automotive industry and this applies to even some of the smaller parts, often hidden from view but which can still be safety critical items.

This is the case for the fuel tank venting systems produced by Raval, who rely on FOBA’s laser systems to generate the alpha-numeric codes necessary to guarantee reliable identification and traceability.

With headquarters in Israel, and with manufacturing sites in the USA, China and Europe, Raval now has over twenty FOBA CO2 laser-marking systems in operation marking traceability codes on the vent valves used in fuel tank systems.

The permanent machine-readable traceability codes produced by the laser are used to track where and by whom the fuel tank venting components and valves have been manufactured, processed, stored or shipped. Should any defects be identified or problems regarding the fuel venting systems arise, the history of any part must be readily available to identify at which point of the production process the defect or error occurred.

The laser marks produced on these components are inherently simple, yet exhibit the excellent machine-readable characteristics required for identification and traceability.

In addition to the consistency and clarity required when marking, Raval also required sub one second marking times to match production line rates. Also automotive component manufacturers such as Raval experience enormous cost pressure from OEM’s, who often may be unwilling to pay for traceability marks on components even although they would not accept components without these marks. This means that the marking process itself has to be inherently economical.

FOBA laser marking systems are available within the UK and Ireland from Bromsgrove based distributor TLM Laser, who also offer application advice plus spares and service support for all laser applications.


Back to top