BOFA technology supports laser product customization
Laser technology has transformed productivity in many industries. For example, it’s now possible to see high volume FMCG businesses laser coding 125,000 beverage cans per hour, while top end consumer brands use precision laser engraving to add high resolution names and logos to products.
Now interest is growing in the customization potential of lasering, for example to create personalised designs in areas such as merchandising and clothing that can satisfy increasing consumer demand for bespoke products.
This area of business looks set for rapid expansion, so expect to see pop-up shops selling personalised merchandise at major events, specialist services in retail outlets creating on-demand product variations, and more online platforms offering bespoke finishes on popular clothing ranges – all utilising lasers at their core.
Driving this is the potential for laser to replace some processes currently used for achieving certain clothing finishes, such as stone wash effects on denim, or to apply unique patterns or images, but amid this market innovation, what absolutely isn’t about to change is the need for BOFA’s world-leading laser fume extraction technology.
This remains true for every setting where laser technology is employed – because the health risks associated with laser generated airborne particulate are well documented – and BOFA’s extraction systems, being portable, are a perfect fit for on-demand services located in public spaces such as shopping malls or at large sports or music events.
Of course, lasering isn’t the only industry looking at customization. Printing too is moving towards personalising products, including one application where BOFA extraction technology is employed alongside a table-top printer customising toy figures produced by a very famous brand. Here, the BOFA system provides dual benefit – ensuring that process fume is extracted effectively while also efficiently harvesting the extractor’s self-generated heat to warm the ink to aid application and speed up the whole process.
All this innovation is made possible by close collaboration between BOFA and distributors and OEMs, ensuring that extraction technology is matched perfectly to application needs through expert engineering of air flow rates, filter architecture and capacity, chemical capture and system control.
BOFA has developed a wide range of solutions for laser and printing operations, including those constrained by space, and all are designed to ensure the removal of near 100% (99.997%) of particulate through multi-stage filtration. Beyond negating any associated health risks, BOFA
technology also ensures that processes remain free from particulate because any contamination, particularly of the lens or laser aperture, could disrupt the beam and impact on quality.
An increasing number of laser and printing companies are also specifying the company’s revolutionary iQ (Intelligent Operating) platform, which has introduced performance enhancements, such as independent filter status monitoring, to improve extraction efficiency. This ensures that filters are changed efficiently in a planned and predictive way, lowering the overall cost of ownership and reducing the risk of downtime…which of course is to be avoided at all costs by any ‘on-demand’ service.
Check out what fume extraction you need for your specific industry.
