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