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For years, Europe's automobile manufacturers have employed automated laser-etching technology to mark labels for parts identification and vehicle identification numbers. Speed and flexibility are key performance requirements. In Europe, the consumer is less likely than in the U.S. to buy a "pre-packaged" car, but rather selects all of the basic components (engine, transmission, and wheel size, for example) from the manufacturer's extensive menu. The buyer expects to receive this finished, personalized car within weeks. The abbreviated manufacturing and delivery turnaround time for the ordered car, coupled with the need to convey a great number of parts information in a single vehicle identification number, requires a technology for on-demand labeling.
Laser-etched labels offer advantages over traditional methods, such as pre-printing via thermal transfer. Using dedicated laser etching equipment, the European parts manufacturer can carve out variable information directly on the labels at ultra-high speed with the intense, focused heat of laser light on the assembly line. The label quantity and content precisely match the vehicles coming off the assembly line.
This technology is attracting interest among U.S. automotive manufacturers, in part because European firms such as BMW and Mercedes have set up U.S. shops and brought their business concepts with them. Also contributing to the increased U.S. interest in laser etching is the declining cost of laser equipment.
The technology can be an attractive option for any automotive component manufacturer who makes use of high-speed automated...