Laser marking with style
When leading loudspeaker manufacturer KEF Audio created its 7-foot tall, top of the range, Muon speakers it needed a way of marking them which was true to the original design concept. The shape of the super-formed polished aluminium cabinets had been styled by leading industrial designer Ross Lovegrove and the purity of the shape could not be compromised - and at £70k a pair, nothing as mundane as an adhesive label could be considered.
Only laser marking of the actual aluminium case would fulfil the requirements of brand, designer and owners.
The problem was finding a company that could accommodate such large objects. Most laser marking is used on small components and so the laser machines have a very small working area. KEF found Surrey-based Fimark, prominent in the subcontract laser marking sector and using their own laser benches which can accommodate a wide variety of component shapes and sizes.
The KEF loudspeakers are only one of a range of large components including carbon fibre dashboard panels and engine covers, lift panels, graduated tubes, oil industry test equipment and large aluminium sample cases that Fimark has laser marked, alongside the smaller components that are normally associated with laser marking.
With a 600 by 300mm X/Y table, rotary axes and lenses up to 330mm diameter working area, Fimark can process larger components than would normally be laser marked. Larger lenses provide an increased field of focus able to tackle curved and irregular surfaces such as the KEF speakers.
