Marking Machinery

About Marking Machinery and Marking Machine Manufacturers, Including Embossing Machines, Engraving Equipment, Etching Machines, Hot Stampings, Laser Marking Equipment & Numbering Machines.

Marking machinery consists of a broad category of equipment used to create designs, images, logos, identification codes or other markings on a product. Once considered optional, marking machinery is now a feature that adds value to a product. In some instances, counterfeiting is a problem. Customer recognition is also valuable. Sometimes, it is necessary to mark products in order to trace them for warranty return. Many businesses in the automotive, medical and aerospace industries refuse to even consider purchasing inadequately marked products from suppliers.
 
Many common everyday products have been marked with those products fabricated by marking machine manufacturers. While metal marking remains a common marking system process, marking machinery marks other materials, such as paper, plastic, wood, leather, glass, fabric and textiles. Credit cards, jewelry, writing utensils, packaging, greeting cards, wood trim and glass sculptures represent the wide range of materials on which marking machinery systems are used. Marking machinery can also produce marks for tracking parts within the whole manufacturing process, making the marks invaluable for quality assurance. Because of the variety of marking applications and techniques, the machines made by marking machine manufacturers can be found in almost every industry. Industries utilizing marking machinery include the computer, electronic, packaging, construction, woodworking and plastics processing industries.
 
Marking machinery uses a variety of techniques, including laser marking, plasma etching and hot stamping to create designs. Laser marking is an environmentally friendly process that utilizes a high energy beam of laser radiation to directly mark the surface of materials. The types of laser marking are classified according to the length of the beam. Plasma etching is divided into two categories: vacuum type, the most common process, and normal-pressure type. In the vacuum type, plasma is generated from gases, such as oxygen, under vacuum pressure to activate the molding surfaces. This type is the most effective for the purpose of surface modification but is inferior in workability, since it must be a batch process and can cause deterioration of moldings if the processing time is too long. There are two different methods of hot stamping, as well. In using a stamp press, a metallic stamp is heated with a hot plate and a foil is pressed on the surface of the molded part. Hot stamping using a rubber press is very similar to that in which a stamp press is used, except that a heat-resistant rubber plate is heated.
 
Marking machine manufacturers produce a variety of machines and models. The proper selection of marking machinery systems depends on a variety of factors, including industrial application, product material and product volume. Hand stamping is cheap and easy to implement, but it is labor intensive and inconsistent. Chemical etching is also inexpensive, but it too provides inconsistent results. Ink jets are faster but are an impermanent and environmentally hazardous solution. Presses can make fast, permanent marks, but they are not very flexible and are time consuming to set up. They also cannot be used on hard or fragile parts and can be dangerous to operate. Before choosing marking machinery that is appropriate for the application, consider the cost of spare parts of the marking machinery, the difficulty of maintenance, the size of the marking system and the degree of difficulty of integrating the system with other systems already in place.

Marking Machinery and Marking Machine Manufacturers Image Provided by Schmidt Marking Systems

Types of Marking Machinery

• Bar code marking machines use a CO₂ laser system to mark metal tools and parts with barcodes and serial numbers. The markings are permanent and impervious to scratching, lubricants, salt water spray and abrasion.
  
• Code dating machinery marks a product with a code to convey information such as the product packaging date and expiration date.
  
• Computer-controlled Braille embossers imprint patterns on paper or thin card to produce tactile Braille symbols. The products manufactured by computer controlled Braille embossers vary according to whether they have been developed for home use or production.
  
• Embossing machines use a metal die to leave a 3D implant on a surface.
  
• Engraving equipment cuts into a product to produce a wide variety of characters that can then be colored. Engraving is a common metal marking technique often used to mark round objects, such as jewelry, cables and wires.
  
• Etching machines use chemicals and acids to engrave metal surfaces.
  
• Hot stamping machinery consists of a press containing a heated printing head and an engraved die, which can produce holograms, credit card characters and many different package designs. The press pushes hot stamping foil on to flat paper, plastic, wood, leather, or certain fabrics, leaving the design imprinted on the material in the color of the foil.
  
• Laser marking systems mark objects through laser radiation. No contact occurs between the laser marking system and the product, making this process advantageous in marking sensitive products, such as glass.
  
• Numbering machinery works manually or automatically to mark products, such as license plates, tags and keys, with bar codes and other numbers.
  
• Roll marking machines consist of cylindrical roller dies with engraved impressions of the required design, which produce indentations and graduations on an object. Roll marking is used on products with flat or round surfaces.

Marking Machinery Terms

Bar Code – A code used in the identification of products through electronic scanning, consisting of a sequence of parallel lines that vary in width. The spacing between the individual bar lines also varies.
 
Bevel – The slant from the surface of an engraved character to the background is referred to as the first, or character, bevel. The second bevel is the clearance taper, or sighting angle, which is usually a 45-degree angle on each side of the hand stamp.
 
Bottoming – Impressing a stamp or die to the background of the characters or design. Bottoming also refers to the ironing out of metal displaced by a stamping die.
 
Character – In marking systems, the individual letter or number marked upon an object. Character faces and styles vary.
 
Chase – A frame of metal in a hot stamping press that holds the die in place during the stamping process.
 
Chemical Etching – A process in which a mark is burned onto a product through the application of a screen and an acid.
 
Die – In marking machines, a metal plate onto which a design or image is etched or engraved to be stamped, rolled or printed onto a product.
 
Dot Marking – Also called “dot peening,” it is a type of micro-percussion marking system in which sequences of dots are used to mark an object according to design requirements.
 
Etching – A process in which a metal plate is coated with wax through which lines are cut. A corrosive acid is applied, which removes the metal under the lines.
 
Foil – In hot stamping, a thin, flexible material consisting of a coat of color that transfers to the stamped product during the stamping process.
 
Hand Stamp – A steel stamp that engraves a design onto an object by striking the stamp with a hammer. Hand stamps are useful when producing low volumes of products.  
 
Impregnation Printing – The process of transferring a special ink based on a sublimating dye to the inside of molded parts. Impregnation printing is useful in applications requiring wear resistance.
 
Ink Jet Marking – Marking system in which a mist of ink is transferred to an object to mark the object according to design requirements.
 
Insert – A stamp or type placed with a piece of marking equipment, such as a die, to produce a particular design or image.
 
Intaglio – An image or design created by engraving the design onto a metal plate and filling the recessed design with ink. A damp piece of paper is then pressed against the plate in a roller press, producing a reverse image on the paper.
 
Mortise – A depression or cavity in a die into which an insert is placed.
 
Numbering Head – A device that marks products with multiple characters simultaneously for fast and consistent identification.
 
Pad Printing – The process of transferring ink to a molded part by filling ink in a plate in which characters are engraved hollow, moving it to a pad and pressing the pad on the face of the molded part; the ink is then cured by thermal treatment, ultraviolet treatment or other curing processes.
 
Steel Branding Die – A die that can be heated to a temperature sufficient for burning characters or designs into wood, leather and other materials.
 
Steel Stamp – A marking device that is pressed or hit into a material. Steel stamps include hand stamps, press stamps and stamp marking kits.
 
UPC (Universal Product Code) Number – A number code below the bar code that consists of 14 numbers, which provide product identification.
 
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) – A unique combination of letters and numbers created by a vehicle manufacturer to accurately identify a vehicle.