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Columbia Marking Tools Inc. is a marking machine company that can design and build special "machine-tool-like" marking equipment that is high-speed, highly accurate, and applies the latest technology in vision verification, software and digital controls. As a result, when one of the world's leading aircraft engine manufactures needed a new marking machine to place identification marks on wide variety of components with very different configurations, Columbia Marking Tools was called upon to design and build that machine.
Tom Phipps, Columbia Marking Tools CEO says, "The receipt of this marking machine order coincidentally came at a time when we had just completed final development stages on a number of new technologies that we were able to apply the benefits of, to this marking machine for aircraft components. For example, our new 'Intelligent' Marking software called 'I-Mark' had to be able to indent permanent UID 2D data matrix codes in standard dot peen, Mil Spec dot peen, aircraft dot peen and the highly readable SQUARE-DOT scribe UID. The new digital I-M drives with imbedded computer-controlled intelligent I/Os provide the invaluable programming and diagnostic capabilities. Also, we applied our first new Mach-10 Series linear magnetic levitation motion to control the X and Y marking axes, providing very fast and accurate wear-free movement."
Andy Habedank, Columbia engineering manager explains, "We have designed-in a tremendous amount of versatility in this machine to accommodate the some of the widest part configuration variations ever done on a marking machine. At the touch-of-a-button on the touch screen, the entire machine automatically initiates a set-up mode where an additional screen shows the operator any mechanical set-ups they might need to perform."
This machine is basically a stand-alone 5-axis marking machine with a robust steel machine base and a flexible overhead vertical column. The computer and controls are mounted in the machine base and the I-Mark drives in a separate panel attached to the outside of the machine base. The column, or Z-axis, contains a servo-driven ballscrew to move the marking assembly up and down, and uses state-of-the-art "all direction" tapered needle bearings for added side-to-side, up and down, and angular load and strength. Columbia Marking Tools has applied a Mach-10 Series head assembly. This new innovation utilizes linear magnetic levitation movements for the X and Y marking axes. The Mach-10 has no belts, leadscrews, ballscrews or any other mechanical means of movement to proper the marker. It is very fast, virtually silent, extremely accurate and eliminates a wide array of moving parts typical of other types of movement systems.
Marking and vision reading is performed by a dual purpose end effector-type motor-driven rotating marking head which has a carbide peen marking stylus on one end and a Cognex vision verification camera on the other. After a part is marked the head automatically rotates and inspects and verifies the mark. The camera utilizes a 4-sided blue light arrangement that provides maximum adjustment for producing the ideal contrast for reading marks, particularly the 2D matrix codes. The machine design provides breakthrough technology by insuring that the camera is always positioned in the exact attitude as the marking head no matter what the angle of the part area to be marked.
