Laser marking in a robotic cell, a customized solution for the truck sector
Starting with a standard laser marking system, we developed a customized robotic cell solution for Siap Spa, including a study of the marking requirements for gear traceability in the truck industry.
1) Feasibility Study and Production Requirements
The SIAP production line is dedicated to the production of gears for the truck industry, destined for leading brands such as Volvo and Scania. To ensure complete traceability throughout the entire supply chain, the customer required a system capable of marking each component with a DataMatrix code containing all the critical information about the part. The code must be perfectly readable by the assembly line cameras, eliminating the need for manual entry and helping to reduce lead times. Integrating the marking system directly into the cell significantly increases productivity while maintaining operational continuity: the parts are picked, marked, washed, and unloaded according to an optimized cycle, reducing downtime and the possibility of errors. The initial study and discussion with the customer is crucial for identifying the right model and saving time on the delivery of the finished product.
The solution adopted for SIAP is a Modula Evo Rotante 800, a 20 W air-cooled fiber laser marking system, equipped with an ultra-fast scanning head and the Zeus Evo control software. The system integrates a high-precision Ø800 mm rotary table, an artificial vision camera for automatic part recognition, and marking orientation based on the detected geometry. Communication with robots and management systems is handled via standard interfaces (TCP/IP, Modbus RTU, RS232), while the software allows for autonomous selection of the marking program among various codes, ensuring fully automatic cycles.
All our lasers are managed by the proprietary Zeus Evo software, a Windows-based 2D CAD program. Easy to use and intuitive, Zeus Evo supports various formats (DXF, BMP, TIF, JPG, DWG, SVG, PLT) and communication protocols, offering maximum compatibility and operational simplicity.
As for the marking head, we have developed a customized version designed to optimize performance. Machined from solid aluminum, this head offers greater structural strength and improved heat dissipation, ensuring durability and reliability. The head is IP64 certified, providing complete protection against dust and water, allowing it to operate even in harsh conditions.
This advanced solution is ideal for industrial applications that demand high performance in complex environments.
3) The Customization Process
Once the most suitable base model was identified, we initiated an advanced customization process, working closely with SIAP to seamlessly integrate the laser marker into the existing robotic cell. The goal was to ensure perfect communication between the machine, the robot, and the vision systems, optimizing the entire operational cycle.
Among the requested customizations was also the painting of the machine in specific colors according to the plant’s color layout — a choice that was not only aesthetic but also functional, aimed at the immediate recognition of safety-related components (such as moving or emergency parts), in compliance with internal standards and the customer’s operational requirements.
4) Measurable Benefits: Reduced Time, Increased Precision, Optimized Productivity
In the production context, the use of a robotic cell enclosed within a safety cage allows for a clear separation between human intervention and automated operational phases, ensuring maximum protection for the operators. The operators load the raw parts onto dedicated trolleys placed behind specific access doors, from which the robot autonomously picks the components to be marked.
The core of RMU’s solution is the integration between the laser and a vision system, which identifies the type of part (from 7 to 8 different codes) without requiring the operator to manually select the program. Once the component is recognized, the system automatically communicates to the Zeus Evo software which marking sequence to execute.
For certain specific parts, the camera captures additional images to detect the geometric position of reference points, in order to perform precisely oriented marking in predefined positions. This step — which would typically require manual intervention and operational times of 2 to 3 minutes per part — is completed in about 40 seconds thanks to the automated cycle management.
Thanks to the 800 mm rotary table, while one part is being marked, a new piece can already be loaded by the robot, allowing overlapping operations and further productivity gains. The result is a unique station that combines three critical functions — part recognition, program selection and orientation, and high-precision laser marking — ensuring consistent quality, permanent traceability, and optimized cycle times.
