LASELEC develops system to reduce wire waste in industry

FRANCE: LASELEC, a leader in the UV-laser industry, has designed a new wire-marking system that will reduce wire waste in industry, especially aerospace. The company has developed a method that uses ULYS Modena wire markers and an automatic feeding system to reduce waste from 1 metre to between 4 and 12 centimetres.

Each time production begins on a new type of wire, up to a metre is wasted, which can lead to substantial costs due to the price of aeronautical wire, for example. LASELEC, a worldwide leader in the UV-laser industry, has developed a method that can reduce such waste to a length of between 4cm and 12cm, using ULYS Modena UV-laser wire markers and automatic feeding.

The system can be mounted on both single-spool and multi-spool dereelers and, thanks to LASELEC’s innovative design, the system can also be retrofitted on all ULYS Modena machines that are already installed.

Using UV lasers to identify electric wiring is currently a method in widespread use in both military and civilian projects, as it is a process that provides indelible marking without damaging the insulation, thanks to the machine’s robust and reliable wire dereeling and cutting system.

The ULYS Modena UV-laser range perfectly meets all wire-marking requirements, from the ULYS 110, which is an entry-level machine that is suitable for low-production rates, to the ULYS 990, which has unmatched productivity.

Entities involved in modification, maintenance and repair of aircraft are showing growing interest in this technology. The MRO 200 was developed by LASELEC specifically to meet the needs of such aerospace companies. Devoted to small and medium production runs and to unit-by-unit production, this range of markers is used in workshops producing small runs and can be used for rework.

The French-based company’s computer-controlled laser cable markers are easy to operate, reliable and efficient. The marking ranges are constantly evolving and have had new models added this year.

A key benefit of direct UV-laser marking is a reduction in the wiring weight, which subsequently reduces the weight of the wire-equipped devices, lowering users’ energy costs. Such wire marking is gradually replacing sleeving in the aeronautics industry, and LASELEC equipment is used by all of the main aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, EADS, Embraer, Eurocopter, Northrop Grumman, and Sikorsky.

The rail industry has also begun using LASELEC equipment, including Canadian rail specialist Bombardier Transportation. Similarly, workshops for industrial vehicles, as well as those for upscale, competition and rally vehicles, feature such equipment, which is specifically suited to their particular requirements.

In 2012, LASELEC began to take part in a collaborative R&D project, VESUVE, which aims to improve considerably the productivity of aeronautical-cable production by developing the laser solutions of the future.

VESUVE will take place within the framework of the Fonds Unique Interministériel (FUI, France’s Inter-ministerial Single Fund) and will be supported throughout by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project was selected by ERDF thanks to its innovative approach to wire waste, along with the business that it will generate.