More Legible, Maintenance-Free Marking In Half The Time

Using a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser system for marking various wellhead and valve components cut the processing time to 26 seconds, including part loading and unloading.

PGI International (Houston, TX) is a manufacturer and supplier of wellhead and valve components for production equipment serving the oil and gas industry. Earlier, the company had been using a pin marking system to mark various components during their manufacture. PGI recently made the switch to the MicroLase marking system from Geo. T. Schmidt, Inc. (Niles, IL) to mark its various instrument manifolds, which are used on transmitters for pipeline/refinery applications. The company plans to expand the use of this same laser technology for marking its valves in the near future.

According to Joe Griffin, manufacturing engineer at PGI, the company opted to install the MicroLase to get a clearer, more legible mark, while at the same time speeding up the marking process.

"Our marking time using conventional pin marking was typically 50 seconds from loading to unloading. With the MicroLase, the processing time has been reduced to 26 seconds," said Griffin.

"The built-in turntable is the main reason for this reduction in process time," he said. "The loading and unloading of parts is essentially free because these operations are done during the marking cycle."

At the heart of the MicroLase marking system is a laser that replaces traditional technology - which utilizes a lamp to generate laser energy - with more advanced diode-pumped technology. This results in an increase of efficiency from 2% - 3% for a lamp-pumped laser to 30% - 50% with the solid-state diode rack. The diode-pumped laser system delivers power levels up to 20 W TEM00, while operating at lower temperatures, eliminating the need for external chillers.

"In addition to lamp-pumped lasers being less efficient and needing chillers, they also require more maintenance," said Matt Beatty, Schmidt product manager. "When a lamp fails, the system is down until a qualified technician can replace the lamp and assure the reflectors are clean and chilling water is purified of any contaminants. In contrast, the energy of a diode-pumped laser will diminish slowly over time - not catastrophically - allowing for planned maintenance to replace the diode rack, a 30-minute procedure."
"Low initial investment, low energy consumption and virtually no maintenance result in decreased cost of ownership," adds Beatty. "The only required regular maintenance is to clean the focusing lens in the same way one would clean a pair of eye glasses."

The diode-pumped laser of the MicroLase has a life expectancy of 15,000 hours and more, with the first 5,000 marking hours covered under warranty.

Solid Support Ensures Trouble-Free Operation

In preparing to mark its instrument manifolds, PGI has manufactured its own tooling and programmed the MicroLase to mark on a multi-level platform. In this configuration, the system is able to apply a precise, non-contact marking pattern in the recess of the part at a rate of up to 150 characters per second.
A typical manifold will have a part number, a flow diagram, two lines of text with pressure ratings at different temperatures and the manifold material.

Griffin added that because the MicroLase is so fast and legible, they are now able to include the company logo, as well, something they couldn't do with their pin marking machine.
The control system for the laser is a standard PC that is equipped with a network card. The simple approach to programming the MicroLase includes utilizing user-friendly software, which runs in Windows™ 95/98/NT environments.

"Our programming is done remotely by the Engineering Department and program files are stored on the network," explained Griffin. "Operators on the shop floor can access any program instantly."

"While the savings on manifold marking has been significant," said Griffin, "we are experiencing even more savings through the elimination of roll stamping and hand stamping of valves."

Because a valve body can be used with a large number of optional seat and seal configurations, PGI used to roll stamp as much of the information as possible on the valve body and then hand stamp the optional information.

"The laser has allowed us to eliminate the set-up and run time associated with roll stamping and all of the labor involved with hand stamping," said Griffin.

A Variety of Uses

In addition to metals, the MicroLase is suitable for marking logos, part numbers, text and designs on plastics and a variety of other surfaces. "The laser is more precise than traditional methods of marking, which allows us to mark smaller parts, such as electronic components," said Neal O'Connor, president of Schmidt. "This is exciting because it means that Schmidt is able to expand into new markets, such as electronics and medical equipment.

As a worldwide leader in permanent marking technology and services, Geo. T. Schmidt, Inc. is able to back its equipment with more than a century of industrial product marking experience, along with a direct sales force and 24/7 service support. With product offerings ranging from manual, low-volume needs utilizing hand stamps, to automated systems including hydraulic and pneumatic machines, to stylus and laser systems, Schmidt is able to provide marking solutions for almost any permanent marking application.