BARCODING, LABELLING & PACKAGING
WAREHOUSING, HANDLING & STORAGE
USING FILTRATION AS AN ENABLER FOR IMPROVING LASER PRODUCTIVITY
I
n increasingly 24/7 production environments for laser barcoding, labelling and packaging, the positive productivity impact of fume and dust filtration technology may not be obvious at first sight. What manufacturers do know, though, is that in the world of high-volume manufacturing, downtime costs money…a lot of money. So keeping production lines moving, while maintaining quality, is critical.
At the same time, implementing a healthy workplace atmosphere management strategy means filtering any potentially harmful process emissions before they can enter the breathing zones of operatives.
On both counts – productivity and occupational safety – effective fume and dust filtration can be a key contributor.
At BOFA, we specialise in technology destined for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) markets. Here, there’s been a revolution in laser coding and marking, particularly in the food and beverage industry – and it’s all to do with speed and quality. Where once the benchmark was to code around 50,000 products per hour, today’s laser marking lines for aluminium cans are able to operate at more than 125,000 cans ph.
The frequency at which a laser is firing , the wavelength at which it operates and the power
Geoff Sagar Product Manager
BOFA International Geoff Sagar is a Product Manager at BOFA
International, with more than 25 years’ engineering sector performance. He works with BOFA engineers and customers, particularly OEMS, to optimise the effectiveness of BOFA extraction technology.
density it generates are all factors that govern how quickly and accurately a laser can operate. As a result, the contribution that fume and dust filtration can make to operations continues to grow, because with faster processing comes a requirement for technical innovation and filter capacity to keep pace.
A well-designed filtration system will be configured based on an in-depth understanding of the factors which may compromise performance. This begins with analysis of the airborne contaminants likely to be emitted by any given process and here a good starting point is usually the Safety Data Sheets of the substrate material being processed. These detail any risks associated with working specific materials within a given process. At the same time, employers will need to take account of the local rules and regulations governing exposure levels for laser generated particulate and fume. Understanding all these challenges – temperature, the mass and makeup of emissions - is key when specifying the appropriate extraction system set-up and filtration media. And, of course, the greater the mass, the more energy / airflow needed to remove it, so collection nozzles, hoses and pumps need to be sized to maintain an environment that helps protect the laser operation while capturing and filtering emissions, because any contamination around the laser lens will impact the quality of the code or mark.
In recent years, extraction technology has evolved to keep pace with faster process speeds resulting
16 FEBRUARY 2023 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
from fibre laser technology. Fibre lasers also generate higher temperatures than other types of laser systems, so one of the most important advances of recent times for BOFA has been the development of technology that helps maintain operating temperatures at the laser head to help ensure the laser can operate at optimum performance. BOFA also understands the importance of including system features to help mitigate the risk of thermal events through the interaction of the laser light and the material surface, and we can provide complete products and system options to achieve this.
Automation is also a key driver for productivity gains – and here onboard systems are now contributors to data analytics providing a system- wide view of performance.
Indeed, how extraction is controlled can make a significant contribution to laser barcoding, labelling and packaging productivity. BOFA’s iQ operating platform features a host of functions and innovations, including onboard data logs and real-time system condition visualisation, so operators can monitor whole system performance and schedule filter exchanges in step with production and maintenance plans. This functionality provides manufacturers with better information on live filtration performance and helps enable smarter decisions to avoid filter saturation and, ultimately, avoid the enemy of productivity – unplanned downtime.
BOFA International
www.bofainternational.com 39
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