Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) marking is the application of a unique 17-digit alphanumeric code, directly on a vehicle chassis, engine or gearbox, metal VIN plates and tamper-proof VIN labels produced as part of the vehicle quality process.
Automotive manufacturers use labelling within the finished vehicle as part of the vehicle certification process, branding and for identification purposes. VIN plates are generally produced from aluminium or stainless steel and are fixed securely in the engine bay, on the engine itself and within the vehicle such as the door sills. VIN, legislative and safety labels are produced from tamper proof and fraud resistant acrylic films from suppliers such as TESA, 3M and Schreiner. The VIN plate, brand plaque and quality inspection label will have specific vehicle information marked or ‘printed’ directly onto the substrate using a fibre laser. Vehicle information includes the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), vehicle type, engine specification and weight.
Depending on the destination country of the vehicle, region specific labels are produced in order to fulfil legislative and safety requirements. For example, labelling requirements for Europe, USA, Canada, China and Gulf States all differ; meaning it is critical for completed vehicles to be exported with the correct labels.
"Automotive manufacturers need fast and efficient laser marking systems to ensure their vehicles are exported around the globe without issue and easily recalled in the event of a quality escape. As a full-service supplier, Pryor delivers the whole solution" Andy Hales, Pryor Automation Sales Engineer.
Pryor have designed a standard yet adaptable Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) label laser marking system which can be easily adapted to suit the requirements for all major automotive OEMs, ensuring full traceability throughout the life of the finished vehicle. VIN label laser marking machines comprise a floor standing workstation, a Class 1 light-safe laser marking enclosure, with fume extraction system and traceability software to manage the marking or printing process, and management and handling of individual vehicle data records. Within the enclosure is an automated label feed and cutting system for handling a roll of acrylic film, from which individual labels are produced. If required, and during the same operation, the Pryor VIN Label Laser Marking system can produce high-quality metal VIN labels and sill plaques.
The Pryor VIN Label Laser Marking Machines can be fully integrated with the manufacturer’s MES or PLC system, using Pryor traceability software and the wide range of industrial communications available with Pryor’s Integrator Laser Controller. This facilitates the retrieval of vehicle data from the manufacturer database, or directly from the PLC. Alternatively, barcode or RFID scanning can be used if there is a vehicle pack travelling along the production line with the car. Retrieved information, achieved using a variety of methods, is automatically populated within the marking program and laser marked directly onto a VIN plate and quality inspection label in one pass, within seconds. Pryor software ensures the correct labels are laser printed and confirmation is written back to the database or acknowledged to the PLC, to prevent duplication and errors.
Once the marking process is complete, Pryor software can export data from completed labels into a separate database, to be used for traceability and historical referencing. This feature is ideal when labels need to be reproduced for legacy and in-service vehicles. In addition to retrieving data from the manufacturer’s database, Pryor software can also write back useful data such as a timestamp, cycle time, label cost and a screengrab of the Production Interface showing which label designs were produced.
Fibre lasers are ideal for use within manufacturing environments due to their low running costs and low maintenance requirements. Combining a highly efficient light source, transmitted via a fibre optic cable to a lens to focus the light beam, fibre lasers are the newest laser technology and offer the greatest benefit to manufacturers over other types of lasers.
Pryor fibre lasers are a reliable and high-quality marking solution for manufacturers, capable of marking a range of materials for over 50,000 hours. The wide frequency range of fibre lasers enable Pryor VIN label Laser Machines to mark a range of substrates in one pass (acrylic, stainless steel and aluminium), cut outlines on labels, produce high quality aesthetic black marks, and deep engrave brand logos into premium metal plaques.
The unique features of fibre lasers make them ideal for use in manufacturing:
- insensitive to movement (unlike other laser types which are prone to misalignment)
- fibre optics deliver a high-quality beam, able to mark small inscriptions very accurately
- highly efficient power consumption (fibre lasers use near-to 100% of input) ensuring very little heat is generated during the marking process
- resistant to heavy environments and require almost no maintenance or spare parts
- visible ‘pilot’ with secondary ‘focus finder’ beam, allows for fast, accurate set up, prior to marking
VIN plates and VIN labels not only contain the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) they display market-specific legislative information, critical to the global automotive supply chain, to allow smooth and efficient import and export of motor vehicles.
Pryor designs, manufactures, installs and supports the best-known global automotive brands with a full range of Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) marking equipment. VIN plate and label marking machines serve an additional requirement to traditional VIN marking, which engraves the vehicle identification number directly onto engine or chassis. Pryor is unique in its ability to offer full-service expertise and support from our UK, USA or French offices, as well as a network of experienced partners in over 60 countries.
Pryor’s expertise in providing bespoke solutions, with equipment and software developed for specific customer requirements, is the reason so many of the world’s biggest automotive brands chose Pryor VIN marking solutions. Pryor’s latest system has delivered a range of benefits to the customer, which have helped increase productivity and reliability of quality control processes:
- bespoke laser marking enclosure to suit the customer’s specific label size and available footprint
- mark and cut a full set of country specific, tamper proof, VIN and certification labels AND engrave metal VIN or brand plates with the same laser within normal takt time
- Class 1 light-safe enclosure, CE Marked and built to the Machinery Directive
- fast, reliable, maintenance-free laser technology with low running costs
- fast, easy changeover and handling of label roll for the machine operator
- versatile traceability software which easily integrates with the customers equipment to deliver functionality in line with customer needs:
- retrieve data from an SQL database with duplication checking
- log process data for reporting and historical reference
- networked software to manage marking layouts with password protected access for different user levels
- server time stamp on process completion including defined material part number
- queue label printing jobs in the machine without the risk of data or operator error
- offline non-production software environment for creating new vehicle model marking programs
- ability to remote print legacy and newly designed labels from a separate PC
- updates can be introduced from a specified, future VIN
- import a range of file types, including DXF files
Find out more about Pryor VIN marking solutions here
