Automated Coil Marking Systems for Steel & Aluminum

Automated Steel and Aluminum Coil Marking Systems

Apply clear, consistent product identification to hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized, painted steel and aluminum coils. Radian engineers robotic coil marking systems around your product, marking requirements, available cycle time and existing mill controls.

Our systems can apply painted characters, labels, tags, barcodes, QR codes and Data Matrix codes while reducing manual work near hot material and moving equipment.

What is an automated coil marking system?

An automated coil marking system receives product information from the mill control system and applies the required identification to each coil. Depending on the application, the system may use paint marking, dot-matrix printing, an attached label or tag, or laser etching.

Radian customizes the robot, marking tool, positioning method and controls around the coil temperature, surface condition, required marking location and production-line layout.

Improve coil identification and traceability

Readable coil identification helps operators and downstream facilities confirm that the correct product is being processed, stored and shipped. Automated marking reduces the inconsistencies associated with manually transferring product information or positioning marks.

Radian systems can apply information such as:

• Coil and heat numbers

• Grade, alloy or product specification

• Customer and order information

• Coil weight and dimensions

• Production date, time or shift

• Alphanumeric characters and logos

• Barcodes, QR codes and Data Matrix codes

The exact marking content is controlled by the mill’s production and tracking requirements.

How automated coil marking works

1. Product data is received

The system receives the marking recipe and product information from the mill’s Level 1, Level 2 or other production control system.

2. The coil is located

Sensors or machine vision identify the coil position and the programmed marking area. The system can be configured to account for product position, skew and dimensional variation.

3. The mark or label is applied

The robot moves the selected marking tool into position and applies the required characters, code, label or tag. Tooling and consumables are selected for the product temperature, surface and required mark durability.

4. Marking is verified

When verification is included, a vision system or barcode reader confirms the presence and readability of the completed mark or machine-readable code.

5. Status is returned to the line

Completion status, alarms and exception information are communicated to the mill controls before the coil moves to the next operation.

Designed around your coil and production line

Radian does not force every mill into one standard cell layout. Each coil marking system is engineered around the conditions found at the selected marking station.

Application factors include:

• Steel or aluminum product

• Hot, cold, galvanized or painted surface

• Coil dimensions and position

• Available marking area

• Required character or code size

• Product temperature

• Line speed and available cycle time

• Mark durability and readability

• Existing conveyors and material-handling equipment

• PLC, HMI and Level 1 or Level 2 integration

• Operator access and plant safety requirements

Standard coil marking system components

Six-axis robot and marking tool

The robot positions the marking, printing, labeling or etching tool at the programmed location. End-of-arm tooling is selected for the required marking method and production environment.

Product-positioning system

Sensors or machine vision locate the coil and compensate for expected position or dimensional variation before marking begins.

Paint, ink, label or tag equipment

Depending on the marking method, the system can include paint or ink delivery, printing equipment, label or tag storage, automatic cleaning and consumable monitoring.

Electrical and control cabinet

The electrical cabinet houses the PLC, safety controls and communication equipment used to coordinate the robot, marking equipment and production line.

HMI and mill-system integration

The HMI provides system status, alarms, recipes and operator controls. Radian can integrate marking commands and product data with existing mill and material-tracking systems.

Safety fencing and interlocks

Physical guarding and interlocked access controls separate personnel from the robot and moving equipment during automatic operation.

Application programming

Radian programs each system around the coil types, marking recipes, product positions, line sequences and exception-handling requirements of the application.