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Honeywell Aerospace

Controlling Costs & Boosting Customer Satisfaction With a Fiber Laser Marking System

How an integrated marking and traceability system is helping Honeywell control costs and boost customer satisfaction.

Fiber Laser Marking System Sample Tags
Fiber Laser Marking System Sample Tags
Custom Fiber Laser Marking System for Honeywell Aerospace Tempe, AZ
Custom Fiber Laser Marking System for Honeywell Aerospace Tempe, AZ
Honeywell's tag tray on an XY table within the fiber laser marking system enclosure
Honeywell's tag tray on an XY table within the fiber laser marking system enclosure
  • Fiber Laser Marking System Sample Tags
  • Custom Fiber Laser Marking System for Honeywell Aerospace Tempe, AZ
  • Honeywell's tag tray on an XY table within the fiber laser marking system enclosure

Industry:

Materials:

Anodized Aluminum

MECCO Products Used:

  • SMARTmark® Fiber Laser Marking Machine
    Fiber lasers can be used for a wide variety of applications, from industrial traceability to branding, on materials such as steel, aluminum, plastic, & ceramic.

    SMARTmark® Fiber Laser Marking Machine

  • Configured and Custom Laser Marking Systems
    Our vast industry experience means that whatever your needs, we can deliver a tailored laser marking solution.

    Configured and Custom Laser Marking Systems

  • Laser Marking Software
    Our laser marking software and custom GUI's offer the most innovative, easy-to-use laser marking interface available in the market today.

    Laser Marking Software

  • EtherMark® Laser and Pin Marking Integration
    EtherMark® is the only hardware/software add-on for native EtherNet/IP™ connectivity to MECCO laser and dot peen marking equipment.

    EtherMark® Laser and Pin Marking Integration

When part-marking inefficiencies began to erode customer relations and inflate production costs, Honeywell Aerospace components manufacturer transitioned to an advanced new fiber laser marking system, with dramatic results.

Five Traceability Challenges

In 2014, the Honeywell Aerospace operation in Tempe, Ariz., was enduring a costly cycle of quality issues, production bottlenecks, rework operations, and customer returns. In-house analysis pointed to one process step common to products ranging from valves to engine starters to pneumatic actuators: the application of serial and part numbers to product nameplates.

In response, Honeywell's ISC Engineering and Production Quality team at the Tempe facility identified five challenges:

  • Bridge the connectivity gap.
    Integrate marking directly with Honeywell’s SAP enterprise software.
  • Automate manual tasks.
    Automate slow, error-prone, labor-intensive keyboarding and nameplate handling.
  • Upgrade inspections.
    Replace human scrutiny, which frequently misses incorrect or duplicate numbers, with digital verification.
  • Boost accuracy.
    Prevent errors that drive customers to demand third-party inspections.
  • Minimize marking footprint.
    Their bulky YAG-laser flatbed system was occupying too much valuable floor space in the factory.  

Collaborative Agreement Resulting in Success

After selecting the MECCO team for its factory-integration experience and strong understanding of Honeywell’s needs, the Tempe facility entered into a collaborative agreement aimed at a “total traceability solution.” Today, the scorecard shows:

  • Connectivity gap bridged.
    MECCO’s SMARTmark system integrates all data and product-template files directly with the Honeywell SAP database. 
  • Manual tasks automated.
    Reduced handling and SAP-based barcodes accelerate workflow, eliminate human errors, and free up operator availability. 
  • Inspections upgraded.
    The SMARTMark vision system inspects and checks marked parts, providing 100 percent in-machine verification and validation.
  • Traceability accuracy boosted.
    Marking-related quality notifications and returns from the customer, which had cost the Tempe facility $2,500 per incident, have dropped significantly.
  • Marking mobilized.
    The new 20-watt SMARTmark Fiber Laser System plugs in anywhere using 120VDC and occupies half the footprint of the old YAG flatbed. 

TESTIMONIAL

“What really blows everybody away is how perfectly your system integrated with our database. Anyone who sees it is excited. Going into this project, the other companies we talked to just didn’t get it. But you understood where we were going and what had to be done. And you were always there to help us work our way through. Thanks, MECCO!”
—Customer Support Engineer Bryan Callahan, Honeywell Tempe Production and Engineering Group