Manufacturer of threading and grooving systems, Posithread has used the EasyMark II system from Rofin-Baasel to improve its laser marking facilities.
Posithread has a comprehensive range of threading inserts, thread mills, grooving tools and tool holders.
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.
EasyMark II operates from a single phase 240V 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 120 x 120mm and the capacity to accommodate components up to 450 x 150 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 desktop mounted and if required, portable. Occupying an absolute minimum of floor space, more than 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.
