The average car is made up of about 30,000 parts, and most of these parts bear numbers, logos, codes, and symbols. The automotive industry requires virtually all parts of a vehicle to be marked with some kind of identification code, and many of these marks are created by lasers. Everything from seat belt fasteners to dashboards, fuel valves, ball bearings, speedometer, tires, and gas caps have some kind of identification. Benefits of direct part marking and engraving for the automotive industry include:
● The ability to trace items in extreme heat and other harsh conditions
● A more reliable and accurate way of identifying auto parts
● It helps to prevent errors in just-in-sequence production
● It helps to ensure lifetime traceability of each part
● Allows a more comprehensive inventory management
● End-to-end traceability helps to reduce or eliminate counterfeit parts
● It helps to eliminate the need to collect data manually for the purposes of inventories, inspections, and maintenance reports
While there are many ways to mark and engrave materials, laser marking and engraving have developed to become the most cost-effective, efficient, and reliable methods not only in the automotive industry but across several industries. Laser marking and engraving are capable of delivering high-quality results compared to other conventional engraving and marking methods. This article outlines six benefits of laser marking and engraving for auto parts.
1. Safety
The ability to trace the life of a given part is critical in the automotive industry. A well-marked auto part is easy to identify and replace. This is particularly important in the case of recalls or component failure, where you might require the auto part replaced immediately, and it would be difficult to identify a poorly marked part. This is one of the major reasons why laser engravers have become the preferred method of labeling in the automotive industry. These markings are permanent, which implies that cars with laser-marked parts can be operated with maximum safety precautions, enhancing safety for the drivers and passengers inside the car as well as other road users.
2. Quality
Although it is crucial for businesses to focus on processes that are efficient, they must not compromise on quality. Finding a method that is both efficient and delivers high-quality results can be hard, but laser marking and engraving more than achieve this aim. Although other methods like the dot peen, inkjet, or chemical marking can withstand extreme conditions, the nature of these markings implies the level of legibility suffers. Laser engravers leave clear, permanent, extremely precise, and high-quality engravings that can easily be read by both humans and machines. Lasers can also work with the smallest of measurements, leaving small yet high-quality marks. The lasers used in these kinds of processes are incredibly powerful, controllable, and reliable.
3. It is cost-effective
Nobody likes wasting money and time, especially in the automotive industry, where the cost of certain parts can be extremely high. In the instance of a recall or component failure, it is critical that a part be identified and replaced quickly. Laser markings provide lifetime traceability, which means a part is only marked once, which helps to save the money and time that would be lost translating an inferior mark.
4. Super-fast marking and engraving
The laser marking and engraving process is super fast and can mark parts in bulk, helping you to save time and money. With traditional methods, you have to be very careful and use a specific set of tools, and that can consume a lot of time. On the other hand, laser marking and engraving require just a command and will do the job without any issues or wasting time. This helps to speed up the company’s processes, helping to save significant amounts of money.
5. Accuracy
Accuracy is of utmost importance, especially when doing engravings on expensive parts or machines. A tiny mistake can potentially damage the whole product or machine, which is something you would want to avoid at all costs. With lasers, you don’t have to worry about this as the engravings are accurate, and there is no danger of harming the product.
6. Non-contact method
One of the major benefits of laser marking and engraving is that they are non-contact methods. This implies that the laser beam doesn’t touch the material that is being marked. Rather, the process relies on heat to achieve the desired results.
Endnote
In this modern era, laser engraving and marking are the go-to technology when it comes to marking and engraving auto parts. They are non-contact processes, they provide enhanced safety, accuracy, and quality, and they are super-fast, which helps to save time and money.