Automated Laser Part Marker With Pallet Loader

Impetus to Invent

Laser part marking with no downtime for loading and unloading? Challenge accepted! Invent Automation’s customer required two parts to be marked while the operator was loading another two. Both parts had to be marked on two sides. Additionally, the unit had to be moveable and have a small footprint. No problem, as an innovative rotating pallet system allows the operator to load and unload while parts are being marked, flipped, and marked again inside. Problem solved!

Problem Solved

Small footprint robot with no downtime for loading and unloading, all while maintaining a small, portable footprint.

Lessons Learned

We went a little overboard with the distributed I/O blocks, and if we had more cabinet space, we would have preferred to run cables directly to the cabinet.

What Was Unique

UV lasers are ideal for precise fine print and have minimal heat-affected zones, which make them perfect for small medical parts.

What Was Challenging

The CODESYS soft PLC used on the Siemens PC was a unique combination for a controls architecture but saves space and still allowed us to maintain IEC611 code compliance.