The new version of the InfoDent 8400-20 pin marking system, designed for marking hot, primary metals or steel products, which was launched in mid-2013, has an improved controller, which increases the marking speed and can print machine-readable information, or two-dimensional codes, says supplier of custom marking systems Traceability Solutions GM Kyle Parker.

“The machine code is stamped onto a metal product by the pin marking system and can be scanned to a database, which relays the product information, such as the heat number, cast number, casting date, casting strand, shift or melt number, to the manufacturer,” he explains.

This system is manufactured by American industrial marking and identification machinery manufacturer InfoSight and is distributed and installed by Traceability Solutions in South Africa.

The system marker prints permanent, easy-to-read dot matrix characters onto hot or cold metal using rapid-fire, pneumatically driven, conical-tipped impact pins, Parker adds, noting that this technology allows for legible marking on scaly, rough, curved or uneven surfaces that would preclude the use of conventional die-stamping techniques.

Advantages of machine-code marking include reductions in human error and in the cost of consumables, as the system does not use ink, tags, chalk or stickers, and increases marking efficiency, Parker says, adding that “completely accurate information can be put on the correct product”.

Although the system prints alphanumeric, or human-readable codes, its new ability to print machine code has resulted in an increased number of enquiries from the steel industry, says Parker.

“We find that, with this system, companies and manufacturers can correctly identify the steel they produce and ensure that there are less unidentified metal products or scrap metal, rather than using hand chalk writing on products,” he adds.

Typical applications for the marking system include permanent identification marking on castings, billets, blooms, slabs and plates. However, another application for the new version of the machine includes steel tubes and pipes, says Parker.

Owing to the system’s application on more uneven surfaces and curves, its increased speed and improved controller capabilities, it can imprint information on pipes and tubes quickly, even while the pipes and tubes are in motion, Parker points out.

Other Features

Parker comments that the machine’s new control system has resulted in the speed of product information marking increasing by about 20%. While the system was specifically designed for marking primary metals, Parker says, the system’s speed makes it suitable for use in other applications, such as in fabrications.

The system also includes return air pressure in the metal casing that contains the pins, as the air acts as a cooling mechanism.

As the system uses electrics and pneumatics and not electromagnetic coils, its maintenance levels are kept to a minimum.