Laser marking for the automotive industry

Product traceability plays a central role in the automotive industry. Keeping the enormous supply chain under control is extremely important to increase productivity and lower costs. Traceability is a critical requirement in automotive industry, where the huge number of vehicle components come from different suppliers.

 

All automotive components have an ID code, which can be a barcode, a QR code, or a DataMatrix. Through these, we can trace the manufacturer and the time and place of component production. This makes it easier to manage component malfunctions and lowers the possibility of errors.

Laser marking on automotive components

Laser marking is the primary traceability tool for automotive component manufacturers. All metal and plastic vehicle components require laser marking. For this reason, LASIT has developed more solutions for this sector than for any other.

Laser marking is permanent, and contrast is always high. The most widely used laser is the infrared light-fiber source, with power ranging from 20W to 100W. Naturally, LASIT laser markers allow for reading and grading the marked DataMatrix code. All laser markers can be equipped with a vision system.

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Why laser marking on automotive components

Data Management

We can connect to the customer’s manufacturing management system(MES, ERP). This allows us to manage dynamic data, production batches, and automated marking sequences, regardless of complexity.

Automation

Speed and automatic data management go hand in hand with mechanical automation. LASIT can integrate its systems into any production line and mechanically create a structure to ensure total efficiency in traceability management

Quality and durability

No other technology guarantees the same level of precision as laser marking, and no other marking is as durable.

Speed

Laser marking is dynamic, automatic, and precise. LASIT is able to design process automation that speeds up manufacturing. Laser marking, code verification, component movement to the next stage of the chain — all processes operate at peak efficiency.

Software

We specialize in custom software design. Our FlyCAD  software allows you to create all codes to comply with applicable standards. This software is designed to communicate with the company database or line supervisor and for automatic recall based on reading the marked code.

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2D Codes

All DataMatrix codes marked using LASIT software use the ECC200 error correction system, which is the current industry standard. This system supports advanced control and error correction algorithms, allowing for the practical reconstruction of up to 30% of the entire encoded data set. This means that the symbol is still readable even when it is 30% damaged, which would be impossible using linear barcodes.

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Marked codes: the difference between reading and verification

Readers are designed to read codes and can be used directly online due to their speed. The information provided lets us check the accuracy of the encoded data and its compliance with specific formatting standards.

 

Code verifiers, on the other hand, ensure that data is correctly marked and meet a qualitative threshold in compliance with the reference standard. A verifier takes longer to parse a code and generates more data than reading alone, which only spells out the encoded data.

 

Some types of readers can grade the quality of the DataMatrix code. As with verifiers, grading also considers international reference standards, but the result can be obtained in real time and used online. Unlike verifiers, however, readers do not account for calibration and lighting position. Nevertheless, they still provide an important indication of the marking quality.

 

The current verification standards for codes are:

  • ISO 15415 for 2D barcodes printed on labels.
  • ISO/IEC TR 29158 (also known as AIM DPM) for 2D DPM barcodes.
Laser marking on die-cast components

Laser marking on die-cast components is a big challenge for laser manufacturers. One of the main obstacles is ensuring readability of the marked code after sandblasting and shot peening.

 

These processes are highly abrasive on die castings and can compromise the quality of pre-finished laser markings. LASIT has conducted countless tests to guarantee the quality of codes after sandblasting. Through the study and implementation of deep engraving parameters, we were able to produce exceptional results. LASIT laser marking is resistant to sandblasting on die-cast components.

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Laser marking on backlit components

Backlit components are in all vehicles. They include the buttons on the radio, air conditioning, and windows and are produced with a laser through a process called selective ablationThis laser marking technology uses a concentrated beam to remove one or more layers of paint until the desired color is visible. The transparent surface lights up, showing the symbol of the button or component. For this type of application, the laser beam cannot remain too long on the material to avoid it. For this reason, the best lasers have very short pulses (from 2 to 10 ns) and very high power peaks.

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Our advantages

Sole supplier

No intermediary,
from design to realization

Interface

PROFIBUS protocols,
PROFINET and PROFIsafe

Integration

Integrations with
MES / ERP systems

Industry 4.0

Business database interaction
for industry 4.0

Vision system

Automatic centering, 2D code verification and grading, OCR recognition

Laser system

For every application and integration
in production chains