SHOP SOLUTIONS Installed in a new, temperature-controlled building, Cus-
tom Etch’s Laser 4000 5Ax laser-texturing system from GF Machining Solutions (Lincolnshire, IL) features a capacity of over 13 × 9 × 4’ (3.9 × 2.7 × 1.2 m). Because workpieces sit on the fl oor for processing, the machine’s weight capacity is limited only by Custom Etch’s overhead crane capacity. For automotive customers, that means oversize molds for com- ponents such as bumpers and fascias, instrument and door panels, central consoles, airbag covers and much more—in- cluding whole interiors—can be laser textured. The huge system joins the shop’s initial Laser 1000 5Ax and Laser 1200 5Ax machines, also from GF Machining
Laser texturing on molds allows for incorporating different materials within the same mold tooling, and the molds that are laser textured will match perfectly when produced by suppliers anywhere in the world.
Solutions. And all three machines complement the shop’s chemical etching processes. The smaller lasers handle parts to 11.8” (300 mm) on a side and 27.5” (698 mm) on a side. A GF Machining Solutions-supplied System 3R pallet system further enhances their productivity with lights-out operating capability.
Like the smaller systems, the Laser 4000 5Ax features
a standard programmable tilting laser head, high-resolution cameras with integrated illumination for fi ne positioning, inte- grated touch probes and dust exhausts, a central lubrication system and various lenses. The texturing process begins with a digital bitmap/gray-
scale fi le created in Photoshop or derived from a natural surface by reverse engineering via a 3D scanner. System software then merges a virtual workpiece with a virtual
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | February 2015
texture, and shops can then preview the fi nal design. With the pattern loaded, the laser removes material in, for instance 10–150 layers, to impart the texture pattern. “Once the Laser 4000 5Ax was here, we started to make contact with automotive companies,” said Melonio. “The initial response was, ‘Great, but what does it cost versus tra- ditional etching?’ And we were able to answer that it doesn’t cost any more than chemical texturing, and here are all the benefi ts versus chemical texturing.’” According to Melonio, those benefi ts include eliminat- ing the need to disassemble and then reassemble complex plastic injection molds—a requirement for chemical etching that creates a signifi cant cost. After chemical etching, reassembly of the mold can take days. Laser texturing, on the other hand, eliminates the need to disassemble the mold and allows easier and more accurate repair of cavities or cores in tools that have been damaged or worn during production. “A laser can create textures across vary- ing materials and have all of the textures match perfectly. Traditionally, automotive manufacturers avoided mixing tool materials because they would cause variations in the texture. Now they have the opportunity to have a set of P20 steel tools mixed with a set of, for example, aluminum tools. Aluminum cools at a much faster rate than P20 does, so molds can have much faster cycle times. If manufacturers can produce more parts in the same amount of time, the price per part drops. If that happens across an entire platform—a vehicle with many plastic parts for instance—and you’re producing 300,000 vehicles, the savings add up quickly,” said Meloni. In addition, the ability to mix tool materials without creat- ing witness marks and other telltale signs of mismatch on the product is especially important for automotive interior components. In these applications, color, gloss, fi t and fi nish of multiple parts must all match precisely. The Laser 4000 5Ax applies texture to more than just large parts at Custom Etch. One example is smaller tooling for molds that generate headlights and other lenses. Auto- motive engineers continue to design such components with increasingly complex details to refract more light and improve safety. The laser can create these precise features such as diamonds, squares and lines in molds for headlights and lenses without dulling the other surfaces of the mold tool.
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