Bar Stock Marking

2-Sided Bar Stock Marking System Improved to Meet Production Requirements

Better. Faster. Cheaper. These are the continual terms used to increase productivity with today’s manufacturers. As a machine tool builder Columbia Marking Tools has been challenged to find solutions for improved productivity for many customers. In this case a fittings manufacturer is faced with antiquated bar stock marking equipment and an ever increasing competitive market.

These fittings have a wide variety of markings on them; from the size of the fitting to the name or logo of the manufacturer. Metal bar stock, the raw material for the fittings, is marked before the machining process. Through the years the manufacturer has invested in new and improved machining processes. These new CNC systems far exceed the production capabilities of the previous marking system.

Columbia Marking Tools Inc. has risen to the challenge to improve on the production capacities of the standard bar stock marking machine design. Bar stock marking is a type of roll marking. In this method of marking a round roll die is continuously pressed against a moving hexagonal or round metal stock. Bars ranging anywhere from 3 to 20 ft (0.91 to 6.1m) long are manually fed into the marking machine at which time the machine’s power driven marking dies automatically carry the bar through the marking process and exits the bar out of the opposite end of the machine. Although these marking machine designs have been around for years, CMT’s standard bar stock machine design has changed dramatically from its counterparts.

Columbia Marking Tools basic design starts with an extra wide footprint and double sized “Part Guides”. This foot print helps to assure minimal part deformation as the bar stock is marked through a pressure indention process. CMT’s bar stock marking machine uses the latest technology in drive, motor, and lubrication systems. The fittings manufacturer was most interested in a faster marking system, and CMT’s machine was able to provide the upgraded productivity they required. Columbia’s bar stock marking system has continuously power-driven marking rollers operating at speeds ranging from 10 to 250 FPM. 

At these speeds, the marking process is fast with one or two sides being marked during one pass. The versatility of the machine is such that by changing marking rollers, a wide range of different marking characters can be applied on the bar stock being processed. Individual character dies, or wafer dies, are designed to keep tooling costs down and marking legends flexible. These wafer dies may be combined to make up a wide variety of character combinations instead of purchasing solid roll dies for each marking legend.

The fittings manufacturer also required the marking system to mark bar stock sizes from 3/8” to 2 7/8”. CMT upgraded the complete machine frame to be able to mark this wider range of parts.   Roll marking machines, widely used in industry and easily mastered without much in the way of training, can mark round, flat or irregular shaped parts quickly and without generating a great deal of noise. Further advantages are that the marking process is uniform and transmits a reduced amount of force into the part being marked, which makes it easy to control the marking depth. A singularly important aspect of roll marking machines is their reliability. However,  if they do have to be serviced, it is an easy task.

About Columbia Marking Tools

Columbia Marking Tools is a leading designer and manufacturer of metal and plastic marking equipment including stamps, roll marking dies, roll marking and impact marking machines, fully programmable laser, dot-peen/scribe marking and UID/2D Square – Dot® machines, numbering heads and special marking machines. For more information, visit www.columbiamt.com.