As industries are facing regulation of the parts they manufacture, certification of a part from birth of the raw material to final installation is becoming more common. The birth of the United States Navy’s subsafe program in 1963 first ushered in the era of industries being required to track the entire manufacturing process starting with the ore the metal is produced from to the final installation of the part. Metal engraving of serial numbers tracking every step of the process is very time consuming. In the early days, the metal engraving identification of the material often became illegible, resulting in rejection of the part for installation. Let’s look at how laser engraving and certification of critical parts works today.
Small Part Machining Projects
In some cases, the parts are too small for conventional metal engraving or stamping. Laser engraving of serial numbers has revolutionized the quality control industry. Laser engraving is capable of inscribing a serial number on even the smallest of small part machining projects. The legibility of laser engraving parts is always 100%. You may need a magnifying glass to see it, but it will be there.
Laser Engraving Multiple Materials
Conventional metal engraving by vibrating or chemical etching machines, stamping or milling will not work on many types of materials. Laser engraving, however, is very versatile. Take a good look at the windshield of your car. Glass engraving is only one example of hundreds of materials which laser engraving machines are used to serialize a part. Laser engraving can be used for wood engraving, plastic engraving, aluminum engraving, stainless steel engraving and so much more.
Quality control requirements have forced many industries to engage local machine shops to solve part serialization and tracking challenges. Do you have a material you need to test? Contact JW Machine’s laser engraving experts, we will be glad to assist you in your laser engraving needs.
