Technifor designs, manufactures and supplies marking equipment, mainly for use in manufacturing industries. The company is highly regarded for the micro-percussion technology that it developed in the 1980s and for its range of rapid indent marking machines that use this technology. More recently the company has introduced scribing machines and a marking laser. In addition Technifor supplies control systems, programming software and support services. On the basis of the number of marking systems supplied, Technifor believes it is now the world leader in its field.

Established in 1981, Technifor today has offices throughout the world – Italy, Spain, Germany, France, China, Japan, Brazil and USA. The UK branch has been operating since 1996 and is based near Stratford-upon-Avon. This office provides sales, marketing and support functions specifically to the UK and Eire market.

The main strength of Technifor is that it offers a range of different types of marking system, enabling it to match the needs of the customer.

Another unusual feature of the UK company is that it can also provide 2D verification systems, either handheld or fixed.

Rapid indent marking machines: Technifor’s core product range is the rapid indent marking machines that use a hardened stylus to indent the surface of a component. The stylus is manipulated in such a way that it produces alphanumeric text, 2D machine-readable codes, symbols, logos or virtually any other type of mark. An extensive range of materials can be marked, including plastics, metals and most materials apart from hardened steels. To complement the range of rapid indent marking machines, Technifor also supplies control systems, programming software, one-axis and two-axis supports, and synchronised rotating chucks to permit round components to be marked. By integrating the marking machine with a PLC or other controller, true marking-on-demand can be achieved. Typical applications include marking date codes, batch IDs, serial numbers, test results and symbols such as company logos or the CE mark.

Scribing machines: Similar to the rapid indent machines, Technifor’s scribing machines use a hardened stylus to scribe the surface of the material. The advantages are that the marks have a higher quality appearance, the marking process is quieter and the marks can be deep. Controllers and programming software are the same as for the rapid indent machines. These machines are ideally suited to applications such as marking exhaust pipes and VIN numbers onto the chassis of cars.

Marking laser: Laser marking is the latest addition to Technifor’s capabilities. Launched in 2001, the TL 400 marking laser can be used on metals (including hardened steel) and plastics, producing a very high quality mark extremely rapidly and very quietly. The laser can mark alphanumeric text, barcodes, 2D machine-readable codes, symbols and logos. With its 5-micron resolution the laser can mark 2D codes measuring just 0.5 mm across, making it suitable for use in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. The TL 400 can be used as a standalone marking station or can be integrated with other equipment, communicating with a controller via an RS232 serial link and marking-on-demand if required.

Verification: Technifor is unusual in its field, given that it supplies verification systems alongside marking systems. This is because the UK branch of the company has forged a close relationship with RVSI, one of the leading suppliers of vision systems and the inventor of the Data Matrix format of 2D machine-readable codes. Depending on the application, Technifor can supply camera-based systems that can be incorporated within a production or test line, or portable handheld scanners that best suit the application.

Support services: In addition to supplying the products listed above, Technifor also undertakes subcontract marking, feasibility studies, provides samples, training of operators and maintenance staff, provides a maintenance and repair service, and gives full technical support for all aspects of the hardware and software.

Principal Markets and Applications
With increasing pressure for traceability in virtually all markets, product marking has never been as important as it is today. Many diverse manufacturing industries use indent marking systems from Technifor, with the automotive and aerospace industries leading the field due to the permanence of the mark and the reliability of the equipment. Manufacturers of electrical and electronic products often use Technifor’s rapid indent and scribing machines for marking components and assemblies.