Automated engraving

Smarter, faster, and more efficient

Within the manufacturing industry, continuous innovation remains a key focus. Increasingly smarter solutions are being developed for challenging, hazardous, or time-consuming processes. We want to increasingly invest in future-proof business operations. Old techniques such as chemical etching and mechanical engraving are being replaced by new techniques like laser engraving because they deliver better and faster results. Processes are increasingly being automated as we strive to work faster with a lower error rate. Lion Lasers also sees a growing demand for smarter, faster, and more efficient production. And we translate that into automated engraving.

Having an employee occasionally place a nameplate in the machine for engraving works perfectly fine. However, when hundreds or thousands of plates need to be consecutively engraved with a serial number or logo, we don’t want to waste time with opening and closing doors, searching for files, and so on. Both for ascending serial numbers, unique codes, and static codes, production can be automated. This also provides a great solution for tasks such as coding product components or personalizing products. Furthermore, the loading of the feed can also be automated. As a result, the employee no longer needs to place the product on the conveyor belt; instead, a robotic arm picks up the product from the inventory stack. No matter how valuable humans can be in the production process, an automated machine can speed up the process and prevent human errors.

Indeed, automation goes far beyond just automated feeding using a robotic arm. Smart manufacturing encompasses not only the intelligent and efficient production itself but also the preparation that precedes it. The customer wants to upload a drawing from behind the desk and initiate the production process with just one click of a button. Emailing drawings or manually entering settings is outdated. Webshops for the manufacturing industry are already widely available. In addition, the customer enters their requirements into an online portal, where the specifications are automatically converted into a working file. The working file, along with the attached customer data, then serves as the starting point for automated production at the manufacturer’s end. But we want to push the boundaries of innovation even further. Because people desire to achieve even better and easier outcomes. The next step is the communication between the customer’s ERP system and the supplier’s ERP system. Once the customer’s system detects that a product is running low, an automatic signal for product procurement is sent to the supplier.

However, we must be cautious not to overdo standard automation in every aspect. Lion Lasers believes it is important to work closely with its customers to determine the best solution for their specific needs. Will a robotic arm or an employee handle the feeding? Are the actions of the operator labor-friendly? And who will maintain the machine? In what kind of environment will the machine be placed? So, custom-made machines are also involved, right? And Lion Lasers happens to be very good at that. Because Lion Lasers designs and builds in-house.