Custom Etch Inc.

Success Story:
Custom Etch Inc.
EDM I Milling I Laser Texturing I Tooling & Automation I Customer Service

Large Laser Changes the Texture of Automotive Molding
Custom Etch Inc, a 35-person shop in New Castle, Pennsylvania,
has specialized in chemical etching since 1982.
However, in 2011, the shop made a bold move to significantly
expand its capabilities beyond chemical etching and invested
in advanced 5-axis laser-texturing systems.
Fast-forward to the present, and Custom Etch now currently
holds the distinction of being the first U.S. shop to own
one of the industry’s largest laser texturing systems. With
a working envelope big enough to park a full-size car, this
recently added system has driven a significant increase in
the company’s automotive business.
After only a month of testing and training on the large
machine, the shop began using it for production work. The
new system is expected to increase revenue 15 percent in
2014 and Don Melonio Jr., vice president of Custom Etch,
expects that number to increase to 25 percent in the following
year. He explained that the need for such a massive
machine grew out of the desire of automakers to texture interior
components that were previously grained using laser
textured foils. These foils were then wrapped onto master
models used to create tooling. This is an expensive and
time-consuming process and not without its flaws.
“What the laser allows automakers to do is choose textures
that prior to this technology were impossible with traditional
machined tooling,” said Melonio. “So now with laser texturing,
they can add aesthetics where it was previously impossible.
And, because you’re taking the labor component out
of the texturing, you’re also reducing time to market. Laser
texturing of large components can result in significant time
savings versus chemical etching, while cost remains virtually
the same.”
Installed in a new, temperature-controlled building, Custom
Etch’s LASER 4000 5Ax laser texturing system from GF
Machining Solutions features a capacity of over 13 feet by
nine feet by four feet. And since workpieces sit on the floor
for processing, the machine’s weight capacity is limited only
by Custom Etch’s overhead crane capacity. For automotive
customers, that means oversize molds for components
such as bumpers and fascias, instrument and door panels,
central consoles, airbag covers and much more – including
whole interiors – can be laser textured.
The huge system joins the shop’s initial LASER 1000 5Ax
and LASER 1200 5Ax machines, also from GF Machining
Solutions. And all three machines complement the shop’s
chemical etching processes. The smaller lasers handle
parts to 11.8 inches on a side and 27.5 inches on a side. And
a GF Machining Solutions-supplied System 3R pallet system
further enhances their productivity with lights-out operating
capability.
Like the smaller systems, the LASER 4000 5Ax features a
standard programmable tilting laser head, high-resolution
cameras with integrated illumination for fine positioning,
integrated touch probes and dust exhausts, a central lubrication
system and various lenses.
The texturing process begins with a digital bitmap/grayscale
file created in Photoshop or derived from a natural surface
by reverse engineering via a 3D scanner. System software
then merges a virtual workpiece with a virtual texture, and
shops can then preview the final design. With the pattern
loaded, the laser removes material in, for instance 10 to 150
layers, to impart the texture pattern.
The Custom Etch building that houses the large system has
a 25-ton crane and machine foundations three-feet thick.
The concrete floor has internal heating to control the temperature
of mold tooling, regardless of the outside temperature.
Two 20-ton air conditioning units keep the building at a
constant 69 degrees all year around.
“Once the LASER 4000 5Ax was here, we started to make
contact with automotive companies,” recalled Melonio. “The
initial response was, ‘Great, but what does it cost versus
traditional etching?’ And we were able to answer, ‘It doesn’t
cost any more than chemical texturing, and here are all the
benefits versus chemical texturing.’”

Those benefits include eliminating the need to disassemble
and then reassemble complex plastic injection molds – a
requirement for chemical etching that creates a significant
cost, according to Melonio.
To chemically etch a mold, workers must disassemble it
down to the base components – the cavity block and core
block, all the inserts, fittings, hoses and wires. Unfortunately,
all those components are then very susceptible to
getting acid and sand on them, which can cause operational
problems and damage.
After chemical etching, reassembly of the mold can take
days. Laser texturing, on the other hand, eliminates the
need to disassemble the mold and allows easier and more
accurate repair of cavities or cores in tools that have been
damaged or worn during production. The process also
works across various mold materials, enabling the use of
multiple materials and potentially having a huge impact on
molding productivity and profitability.
“A laser can create textures across varying materials and
have all of the textures match perfectly,” explained Melonio.
“Traditionally, automotive manufacturers avoided mixing
tool materials because they would cause variations in the
texture. Now they have the opportunity to have a set of P20
steel tools mixed with a set of, for example, aluminum tools.
Aluminum cools at a much faster rate than P20 does, so
molds can have much faster cycle times. If manufacturers
can produce more parts in the same amount of time,
the price per part drops. If that happens across an entire
platform – a vehicle with many plastic parts for instance –
and you’re producing 300,000 vehicles, the savings add up
quickly.”
Additionally, the ability to mix tool materials without creating
witness marks and other telltale signs of mismatch on
the product is especially important for automotive interior
components. In these applications, color, gloss, fit and finish
of multiple parts must all match precisely.
The LASER 4000 5Ax applies to more than just large parts at
Custom Etch. One example is smaller tooling for molds that
generate headlights and other lenses. Automotive engineers
continue to design such components with increasingly
complex details to refract more light and improve safety.
And according to Melonio, the laser can create these precise
features such as diamonds, squares and lines in molds for
headlights and lenses without dulling the other surfaces of
the mold tool.
“Laser technology produces lots of little details while
maintaining a high polish on the areas between the features
of the lens tooling,” said Melonio. “That’s not possible
using chemical etching because those areas would have to
be sandblasted to clean them after the process. So, laser
texturing is a big deal for the lens manufacturers. It offers
them another option besides electrical discharge machining
(EDMing) when it comes to creating a lot of features in
lens molds while maintaining a high polish between those
features.”
Yet another key attribute of laser texturing for automotive
customers is the ability to reproduce textures while globally
sourcing parts. The technology’s accuracy and repeatability
means that, once a texture pattern is developed for laser
processing, tools for the component can be sourced in the
location that is most convenient for production.
A company that is sourcing tools to Asia, Europe and the
United States, for example, can send the same texture pattern
information to all its suppliers. The texture of all the
tooling will match no matter where it’s produced, commented
Melonio.
“One of the biggest issues with conventional texturing,” he
said, “is that automotive engineers believe all the tools –
such as for the interior components – for a single model
car, need to go to a one supplier. The concern is that tools
textured by different suppliers will vary and lack consistency.”
As a result, shops that perform texturing have what are
known as “harmony rooms” for checking gloss, texture,
and other attributes of finished components,” said Melonio.
Tools may be sourced in one country then shipped halfway
around the world to be textured.
“But if you generate that pattern on a laser machine anywhere
in the world, it will be spot on in terms of texture,
gloss and other characteristics. And as a manufacturer you
can then source tools anywhere in the world and be confident
they will match perfectly,” he said.
Melonio believes Custom Etch caught the leading edge of
an automotive laser-texturing wave that is just starting to
go global. In fact, the company is prepared to add as many
large laser-texturing systems as its climate-controlled facility
will hold. But he also knows that competitors across the
globe are adding the capability as well.
And while much of the work on the large laser-texturing
system is automotive-related, Custom Etch’s philosophy
is to maintain a diverse customer base, which means the
machine also processes components for a number of other
applications. These include large molds for recreational vehicles,
building trades, aerospace and medical components.
“Our philosophy has always been diversification. We will
continue to service all markets and remain committed to
growth in all fields. We see a tremendous potential in automotive
and have made large investments in laser technology
and will continue to do so going forward,” said Melonio.

GF Machining Solutions
GF Machining Solutions
560 Bond Street
Lincolnshire, IL, 60069
USA
Website: www.gfms.com/us
Email: info.gfms.us@georgfischer.com
Phone: 847-913-5300
© Machining Solutions, 2015
The technical data and illustrations are not binding.
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