Metal and steel surfaces

High temperature fluctuations, lots of dirt: What to consider when marking metal surfaces

Coding and marking solutions for metal and steel surfaces

Metal blanks directly after smelting, coils, plates, pipes, machine components: The metal and steel industry marks, lasers and labels very different metal and steel surfaces. The marking technology often has to withstand extreme environmental conditions, for example when the red-hot surfaces of freshly produced steel are marked directly. Not only high heat, but also fast temperature fluctuations as the metal cools are a challenge for marking and labeling systems. Added to this are dirt and dust, vibrations and various surface conditions such as oily, rusty and scaled surfaces. Changing compositions of metal alloys and long printing breaks are further aspects that need to be taken into account when developing marking systems for the metal and steel industry. As metal blanks, semi-finished products and end products have to be marked for complete traceability from the plant, the industry needs solutions that can be integrated directly into production plants or manufacturing plants.

The challenges of marking metal and steel surfaces

Versatile different metals, product sizes and shapes

Marking under extreme environmental conditions

Resistance to heat, cold, chemical and mechanical stress

Fast application in automated steel production, metal and sheet metal processing

Generation of machine-readable alphanumeric codes and 2D Codes

Rough, uneven or smooth, greasy or oily surfaces