Wavin is a Dutch manufacturer of plastic pipes, mainly for drainage and water supply purposes. Their Swedish unit manufactures PE 80 (polyethylene) pipes and the end customer requires permanent traceability markings on pipes, which couldn´t be achieved with the previous inkjet marking method. Polyethylene is a relatively slippery material, so inkjet printing is not durable and can be rubbed out during handling. Losing the markings and therewith the ability to track and verify the origin of the pipes is always a risk and wouldn´t fulfil today´s requirements.
“The laser solution is more reliable and there are much less scrap tubes because there are no more ink stains on the tubes. The text is more visible and there is much less maintenance need compared to previous systems. We haven’t got any idle time on the machine.”
The solution for replacing the inkjet systems, provided by Cajo Technologies is a 20W Cajo Vega for Cables™ fiber laser system, integrated into Wavin´s production line so that the marking can be done on the fly, without interrupting pipe production speed. Despite the name, the system is not exclusively designed for marking cables, but it can also be adjusted for marking pipes and tubes with a diameter more than 30 mm when the pipe rollers are installed outside the system. The diameter of Wavin´s pipes is between 15-60 mm, and the marking contains a straight line, date and company logo. As a turn-key stand-alone system with a protective housing, Cajo Vega for Cables™ doesn´t require any additional enclosure for the laser beam.
We asked the customer why Cajo laser is superior compared to the industrial inkjet:
“The laser solution is more reliable and there are much less scrap tubes because there are no more ink stains on the tubes. The text is more visible and there is much less maintenance need compared to previous systems (inkjet). We haven’t got any idle time on the machine.”
Anders Lundgren, Quality Environmental TPM
Example of laser marked PE pipe – read another case study about marking on polyethylene pipes.
Cajo Vega for Cables – read more about the solution.
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