The bearing market has been facing the scourge of counterfeiting for many years, causing huge consequences. According to data from the World Bearing Association, at least 5.4 million jobs are in danger, and the global economy will lose 36 billion euros.

These amazing numbers have prompted major bearing manufacturers around the world to mark their parts. On the one hand, it is to promote internal traceability and maintenance actions, but the most important is to enhance their corporate image by providing unique and beautiful logos.

Every year, millions of bearings are manufactured for many industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy and medical. Obviously, this huge demand has produced a wide variety of products, including the materials used (steel, ceramic or other processed metals) and sizes (larger or smaller diameters or widths). Therefore, marking solutions must be able to easily adapt to these differences.

The mark type can also be different. Bearings are marked with a variety of information, from alphanumeric production codes or product data (location or manufacturing date) to Datamatrix codes or logos. The inscription must be clear, readable and unchangeable. This last point is especially true if the bearing is subject to significant mechanical or thermal stress.

In addition to excellent modularity, the marking solution used must also be able to adapt to the shapes of different parts. Among other things, it consists of an outer ring and an inner ring, both of which are usually engraved. This involves flat, round, concave and convex markings. All of this, while taking into account the cycle time that can sometimes be around one second.

SIC Marking is a leader in the field of industrial traceability. For more than 30 years, it has been committed to providing the most suitable marking solutions to meet industry challenges.

SIC Marking's integrated laser is suitable for marking ball bearings, providing clean and permanent results for all materials (from plastics to ceramics to hard metals). Various available options, including 3D function and autofocus, ensure perfect marking on all bearing surfaces (outer or inner ring).

The series consists of three workstations (L-BOX, XL-BOX and XXL-BOX), allowing a dedicated marking station. This can be integrated into the production line or used as a stand-alone marking station. Production of small, medium and even large series is possible. The size adjustment of the box, the creation of specific tools, the addition of additional movements (Z axis, rotation axis) are all options that can be provided upon request.

The strength of a company with 300 employees lies not only in product quality, but also in its ability to adapt to the different needs of customers, which perfectly reflects its understanding of tailor-made solutions.

SIC Marking has three competence centers in Europe, America and Asia, enabling it to provide specific solutions developed and researched locally. As a result, teams dedicated to meeting customer needs can adapt to all kinds of connections, whether they are multisite, process, workshop, or line managers. Whether it is the available surface area, the technology of the conveying components, or the environmental constraints, the details of the different locations have been carefully studied. The company can provide multi-site support.

Laser marking experts have the opportunity to prove the quality of their solutions by accepting a challenge from a major Swedish ball bearing manufacturer with a branch in Germany. The manufacturer wants to mark alphanumeric and Datamatrix codes on steel bearings with diameters ranging from 150 to 600 mm. In addition to adapting to different part sizes, the solution must also be directly integrated into the production line, and be able to mark bearings in two locations at the same time, while ensuring that the Datamatrix is ​​read back.

With many years of experience, SIC Marking can provide customized workstations equipped with IPG 50W laser, bearing surface marking and IPG 3D laser, 2-axis automatic control, capable of marking on the radius of the part. It also integrates a proofreading system for direct proofreading of marks, and a conveyor belt so that the machine can be integrated into the production line.

In addition to fully compliant solutions, SIC Marking convinced customers with its professional organization, local support from its German subsidiary, and large-scale marking testing activities that mobilized its laser experts.

For more information, please call 877/742-9133 or visit www.sic-marking.com.

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