Five Techniques to Improve Efficiency in Laser Marking on Production Lines

Five tips for laser marking on industrial production lines, covering equipment adjustment, parameter optimization, and maintenance, will help businesses reduce downtime, increase productivity, and lower production costs. The article is suitable for production managers and engineers.

Calibration and parameter optimization.

The efficiency and precision of the laser marking machine depends to a large extent on the initial calibration and settings of its parameters.If the machine is not properly adjusted, it will affect the marking speed, and in the worst case will lead to products having to be reworked.

Regularly calibrate the optical system.

Misalignment of the optical path is a common problem, especially with equipment that is in operation for long periods of time.It is recommended that the focus of the laser be checked with a calibration plate on a weekly basis.The calibration process is not difficult. Most equipment comes with a calibration procedure, and you just follow the instructions.

Power and frequency can be adjusted.

Different materials require different laser parameters.For example, metal marking usually requires high power and low frequency, while plastic marking requires the opposite.Saving a few common sets of parameters in advance can save a lot of debugging time.When a new material is encountered, they first test a small amount to avoid waste.

Automation and integration.

Manual loading and unloading is laborious and slows the overall pace.To increase efficiency, you have to make the equipment and the production line "move themselves.

Install a conveyor belt system.

The conveyor belts and sensors allow for automatic feeding and positioning.When the labeling is finished, the product automatically enters the next phase of production, saving the time that would otherwise be spent waiting for manual transport.This kind of renovation is not expensive, but the results are immediate: after a certain auto parts factory added a conveyor belt, production per shift went up by 30 %.

It also interfaces with the company's manufacturing execution system (MES).

The machine can be connected to the factory's manufacturing execution system (MES), which automatically reads order information and switches the content of the label.Don't underestimate the importance of this function. In the past, workers had to manually enter the numbers, and it would take an average of five minutes per batch. Now, with automatic processing, the error rate has dropped.

Daily maintenance and employee training.

No matter how advanced a machine may be, it cannot stand up to being forced to work while ill.Good maintenance means that when the moment of truth comes, the system will not fail.

Establish a three-tier maintenance system.

Every day before work is finished, he spends ten minutes cleaning the lens and the track. Every week he checks the coolant and the cooling fan. Every month he does a comprehensive test of the laser and the circuitry.After a fixed process is established, sudden problems can be reduced by more than 60 %.

Train all-purpose operators.

Have you ever seen a situation where the equipment is reporting an error and the workers are at a loss as to what to do? It is suggested that you periodically conduct drills for dealing with equipment failures.For example, they might deliberately set the parameters incorrectly to teach employees how to quickly find and fix errors.The more employees who understand basic maintenance, the smaller the risk of production line downtime.

Environmental control and management of consumables.

Laser equipment is very sensitive to changes in the environment, especially temperature and dust.One electronics factory had a problem with lenses fogging up due to high humidity, and only solved the problem by installing a dehumidifier.

Monitoring the temperature and humidity in the workshop.

A thermometer and hygrometer should be hung next to the equipment, and the temperature and humidity should be adjusted as necessary.In the dry winter of northern Taiwan, a humidifier can be used to reduce static electricity. In the south, during the rainy season, moisture control is a key issue. These details are often overlooked, but they have a direct impact on the lifespan of equipment.

Batch management of consumables.

Don't wait until the laser tube or lenses are broken before replacing them.He suggests that a replacement schedule be established based on usage, for example that the laser tubes be replaced every 4000 hours.Different batches of consumables are stored separately to avoid mixing and fluctuations in performance.

Data-driven continuous improvement.

Improving efficiency is not a one-shot deal.Every time we make an adjustment in the parameters or the process, we record the key indicators and compare them.

Establish a daily production report.

They record the number of labels printed, downtime, and the consumption of consumables.At the end of the month, when you analyze the data, you may find that a certain product model takes a lot of time. At that point, you should consider doing some special optimization.

The efficiency challenge.

People are competitive by nature, so we set up an efficiency ranking system for the teams, with rewards for those who meet their targets.After a packaging factory did this, the employees spontaneously researched and developed a pneumatic clamping device that could fix the product in place faster, shortening the time for marking a single piece by 1.2 seconds.