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FAQ's

Electro-Chemical Marking

What types of material can I mark?
What about marking anodized, powder-coated or non-conductive coatings on parts?
Can round parts be marked?
How long does it take to make a permanent mark?
How do I make a stencil?
Can I create my own photo-processed stencils?
How many normal etch marks can be achieved with a single photo-fabricated long life Stencil image?
How many deep etch marks?
Are the electrolytes hazardous?
Is this process covered under any Mil-Standards?
What is the down time associated with the equipment?
Can this method be automated?
What is the benefit over the other types of marking?
How do I process the die-impression paper-based stencil material?

Dot Peen Marking

What types of materials can I mark?
How long does it take to mark?
Do I need to supply a PC?
What do I need to power the Propen?
What is the difference between the electric and the air/electric Propen?
How deep can you go?
If I paint over the mark, is it still readable?
How small a character height can I make?
Can I serialize?
What about logos?
Can I use my PC to mark if I choose?
Can I also mark linearly on a tube or rod, perpendicular to the O.D.?
Can I mark around the O.D.?

Job Shop-Contract Marking

What services do you offer?
What type of plastic marks best with a YAG laser?
How long is the normal turnaround time for Contract Parts Marking?
What industries does Marking Methods serve?

Technical Help

What happens if I skip the cleaning step after marking?
My system will not mark?
How do I determine which electrolyte to use?
Can I get a darker mark?
The mark is rubbing off?

 

Electro-Chemical Marking

What types of material can I mark?
Since the process depends on a small amount of electrical current to pass through the stencil the part must have a conductive metal surface. Chem film, black oxide, chrome plating, gold, silver, cadmium plate, brass, bronze, carbide, nickel, stainless steel, tin, titanium, zinc, iridite, alodine, and many others can easily be marked with the process.

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What about marking anodized, powder-coated, or non-conductive coatings on parts?
Because the Electro-Chemical Marking process relies on a conductive metal surface to mark anodized, powder-coated or non-conductive coatings will not mark. However, if they are deep etched legibly prior to the coating process the depth of the mark will show through.

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Can round parts be marked?
Yes. Wrapping the stencil around the part can mark round parts and rocking the marking applicator over the stencil or positioning the stencil on a bench fixture then the part can be rolled over the stencil.

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How long does it take to make a permanent mark?
Depending on the depth desired, marking time varies from a quick 2 seconds to create a permanent surface mark of .0005 deep to just minutes to achieve depths up to .010.

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How do I make a stencil?
Stencils can be produced by the customer using a typewriter, dot matrix printer, steel stamps or actually writing on the stencil. If a more durable long life nylon stencil is required, Marking Methods art department can produce high precision stencil that will last for thousands of marks depending on the depth desired.

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Can I create my own photo-processed stencils?
Marking Methods prides itself on providing the best quality, long-life photo-processed stencils on the market. Through years of research we have been able to product a superior stencil that outlasts our competitors. Our process is proprietary but we are able to provide an extremely fast turn-around time that will accommodate most customer requirements.

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How many normal etch marks can be achieved with a single photo-fabricated long life stencil image?
Depending on the type of metal and the dwell-time of the marking you can expect several hundred to several thousand marks.

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How many deep etch marks can be achieved with a single photo-fabricated long life stencil image?
Depending on the type of metal and depth of the mark you may get from one to ten marks.

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Are the electrolytes hazardous?
Electrolytes are designed to carry a small amount of electrical current through the stencil to the mark surface. The electrolytes are water-based buffered salts that are not harmful if handled in the prescribed manner.

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Is this process covered under any MIL-Standards?
Yes. Here are a few. MIL-STD-130, AS472, MIL-STD-792 and MIL-STD-767.

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What is the down time associated with the equipment?
The electro-chemical marking process has very few things that can go wrong with the equipment. Many units have been working in the field for 20 plus years.

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Can this method be automated?
The electro-Chemical marking process is suited well for the manual and semi-automated process. However, some application can be easily adapted for automation.

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What is the benefit over other types of marking?
Electro-Chemical marking does not cause stress fractures, is permanent and does not raise the surface being marked. It is economical and the training cycle is very short.

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How do I process the die-impression paper-based stencil material?
Die-Impression Stencil requires some type of impact into stencil. Preferred methods are typewriters and dot matrix printers.

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Dot Peen Marking

What types of materials can I mark?
Dot Peen marking is an impact marking process that places a series of closely spaced dots appearing as a solid line. The material must have some hardness so material memory does not return the surface to its original condition. Metals up to 62 Rockwell are the most common applications, however, many types of plastics, hardwoods, etc. will work well.

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How long does it take to mark?
The Propen marker can travel up to 5 characters per second depending on the character size.

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Do I need to supply a PC?
No. The Propen is completely self-contained and weighing only 64 lbs. can easily be moved to different locations.

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What do I need to power the Propen?
There are currently two models available, the all electric, which operates on 110/220 volts, or the Electro-Pneumatic, which requires 80 lbs. of shop air and 110/220 volts.

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What is the difference between the all electric and the air/electric Propen?
The all electric is much quieter and of course does not require shop air. The air/electric is considerably faster and can make deeper marks.

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How deep can you go?
The depth is dependent on the material type and hardness. The number of valves that are open, the grind of the pin angle and the air pressure regulate the depth. 15 to 20 thousandths depth can be achieved on mild steel.

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If I paint over the mark, is it still readable?
Usually yes depending on the type of paint. Paint will follow the contour of the surface so if there is a recess (mark) the paint will drop down and the mark will be readable.

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How small a character height can I make?
The Propen is capable of marking as small as .040 high characters. This is sometimes material dependent.

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Can I serialize?
Yes. The number can be incremented and decremented. You can also create batch and shift number.

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What about logos?
Logo can be produced with the Propen marker; however, additional software must be used to generate the images that are downloading to the marker. If only a couple of logos are needed Marking Methods can provide the logos files that then can be loaded into the Propen without the need to purchase additional software.

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Can I use my PC to mark if I so choose?
Yes. However, additional software must be purchased to operate the PC with the marker.

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Can I also mark linearly on a tube or rod, perpendicular to the O.D.?
Yes, if the character size is kept small enough so the top and bottom do not extend too far down around the contour of the tube.

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Can I mark around the O.D.?
Yes, with the CI3000 Circular Indexer round parts can be marked cylindrically.

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Job Shop - Contract Marking

What services do you offer?
Electro-Chemical Marking, Laser Marking, Dot Peen Marking, Pad Printing, Hot Stamping, Vibro-Etching & Industrial Silk Screening.

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What type of plastic materials marks best with a YAG laser?
Marking of plastics with a YAG laser is highly dependent on the type and color of the plastic. Since there are many types of plastics and colors with diverse additives we recommend that you take advantage of our free sample marking service and submit a sample of your material.

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How long is the normal turnaround time for Contract Parts Marking?
Depending on the quantity of parts and current workload we normally turn parts around in 4 to 5 days.

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What industries does Marking Methods serve?
Most all industries require some type of marking so being in the marking business for over 40 years Marking Methods has marked something in just about every industry you can imagine. A major portion of our work is done for industries like the aircraft, medical, recreational, as specialty, electronic, cutlery and many others.

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Technical Help

How do I process the die-impression paper-based stencil material?
Die-impression stencil generally requires some type of impacting device to transfer the coating to the backing paper allowing the electrolyte to pass through the stencil to create an electrical contact on the conductive metal surface. A typewriter works well. When the application requires very large or very small characters, requires the character string to be curved to fit the part or the application requires a logo or 1D or 2D code a special dot matrix printer and software can be purchased from Marking Methods to meet these requirements.

After the die-impression stencil is impressed the colored stencil is removed from the backing paper and is then located on the item to be marked. Sometimes pre-wetting the stencil image with electrolyte prior to marking will achieve a better first mark and helps to secure the stencil to the part.
Steel inspection stamps can be used to stamp the material and by reversing the stencil material on the backing paper you can draw on the stencil.

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What happens if I skip the cleaning step after marking?
Cleaning the item after marking is a key requirement of the electro-chemical process. Electrolytic salts left on the part draw moisture from the air and can cause corrosion. Yes, even stainless steel can corrode. Marking Methods can provide specially formulated cleaners that hygroscopically remove the residual electrolyte and oxides. For highly corrosive materials we recommend using our corrosion preventative protectants after the item has been thoroughly cleaned and dried.

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My system will not mark?
Check to see that the power cord is plugged in. If the power indicator is on and lighted check the cord set. ( Link to the power unit checklist)

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How do I determine which electrolyte to use?
Refer to the electrolyte chart.

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Can I get a darker mark?
By using the proper electrolyte, length of dwell time and proper power unit settings you can achieve a dark mark. Refer to the electrolyte chart.

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The mark is rubbing off?
Try using a different electrolyte of marking cadmium, aluminum, gold & zirconium. Allow some time for oxides to stabilize before cleaning. Refer to the electrolyte chart.

 

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