Engineered and Built by Columbia Marking Tools

I-Mark C Series Custom Dot-Peen and Scribe Marking Machines provide designs fit to unique applications. to customer specifications. with outside box ideas.

C-Series dot peen or scribe by I-Mark are custom designed marking machines for unique applications. This versatile marking system offers both dot peen and “silent scribe” marking in the same system. These ball screw drive systems come with either stepper drives offering up to 5 characters per second, or high-speed servo drives offering up to 8 characters per second. The C Series is UID/2D Square-Dot® compatible. Industrial programmable marking systems are used in manufacturing for part tracking and traceability. The I-Mark C Series scribe unit is great for marking date codes, serial numbers and part numbers.

Core marking system:

  • Custom C Series marking head
  • Two ball screw axes powered with high torque stepper or servo motors
  • I-Mark controller
  • I-Mark software for programming marking controller

Additional components (as required):

  • Mount for marking head
  • Machine base
  • PC or HMI for system control
  • Master fixture plate and fixtures

The C-Series scribe custom marking machines are individually designed for unique applications. Check out specifications and essentials for custom machines.

Custom Designs

The C Series by I-Mark combines many flexible features to create unique marking machines. The wide variety of machine choices allows for the design and build of application-specific marking systems.

At the heart of the C Series design is the slim head 2-axis ball screw feature.

Features include:

  • X-Y motorized ball screw axis
  • Air powered of electric powered marking head
  • Carbide or diamond marking pin
  • Stepper or servo motors
  • Marking area

Marking Area

There are four basic marking window areas on the C Series:

  • IMC60 - 1.6" x 2.3" or 60mm x 40mm
  • IMC150 - 4" x 6" or 150mm x 100mm
  • IMC300 - 8" x 12" or 300mm x 200mm
  • IMC500 - 10" x 20" or 500mm x 250mm

However, the flexible I-Mark software and the industrial ball screw axis design allow for the marking window to meet any marking application requirements. Example design shown with 23" x 18" marking area for large parts.


Marking Head

The I-Mark C Series features a slim marking head design. The head is available with either an air-powered or an electrical-powered marking pin. While many facilities are choosing a pneumatic-free environment, the air-powered head is a good choice for deep marking.


Pin Selection

The I-Mark C Series is able mark using either the dot peen or the scribe process. The I-Mark C Series is the only marking machine that can change marking methods in one marking pass. The scribe process is better suited for diamond pins and the dot peen process is better suited for carbide pins.


Controller Attributes

The I-Mark Model controller will be designed and built for the number of axes required for the marking application. A selection of communication options is available, including remote programming over LAN, and operational controls via I/O, modbus, serial and Ethernet IP.

Some select examples of key C Series marking applications.


UID Marking

This C Series example is for a low-volume, but extremely flexible marking machine. The aerospace manufacturer produces a low-volume of a wide range of parts. In addition, the expensive parts need to properly marked for traceability.

Feature:

  • IMC60 X-Y ball screw axis with stepper motors with 6" electric Z-axis
  • Heavy-duty Z column for infinite positioning
  • Master fixture plate
  • IMPC - industrial PC with preloaded I-Mark software
  • Custom, extra wide base for large parts
Low-volume turn-key solution for aerospace supplier
Flexible Low volume

Manufacturer with a wide range of parts needed an extremely flexible solution for a wide range of parts.


High-production marking of automotive parts
Production High-volume

High-volume solution for production marking of automative parts.

Production Marking

This C Series example is for a high-volume manufacturing, requiring 24/7 operation and high durability and reliability. The automotive manufacturer produces a small range of parts, but an extreme high volume. The marking system has both servo motors and a dual-headed marking system to keep up with production.

Features:

  • IMC60 X-Y ball screw axis with servo motors with 6" electric Z-axis
  • Integrated conveyor
  • Guarding
  • IMPC - industrial PC with preloaded I-Mark software
  • Mobile machine base

Production Line Marking

This C Series example is for high-volume marking, integrated into the manufacturing conveyor. The automotive parts manufacturer produces a high volume of parts with a fully-automated conveyor manufacturing cell.

Feature:

  • IMC60 X-Y ball screw axis with stepper motors with 6" electric Z-axis
  • Gantry mount for over conveyor
Automotive production line
High volume Gantry over conveyor

Gantry marking system over high production automotive conveyor.


Large Part Marking
Low-volume Large part

Low-volume compoment manufacturer upgrades from hand stamping large parts.

Large Part Marking

This C Series example is for low-volume manufacturing, requiring extreme marking windows and heavy-duty base for heavy parts. The automotive manufacturer produces a small range of parts, but an extreme high volume. The marking system has both servo motors and a dual-headed marking system to keep up with production.

Feature:

  • IMC60 X-Y ball screw axis with servo motors with 6" electric Z-axis
  • Extremely large marking window
  • Safety area guard
  • IMPC - industrial PC with preloaded I-Mark software
  • Custom steel base for heavy parts

All of the needed elements to have a complete turnkey marking station.

  • I-Mark M and MS Series - included
  • I-Mark C Series
  • CMT Eclipse LE16 Compact
  • CMT Eclipse LE24 Round
  • CMT Eclipse LE48 Large Bed
  • CMT Eclipse LER Rotary Turn Table
  • CMT Eclipse Tunnel Automated Conveyor

A great addition to the I-Mark dot peen and scribe marking machines or the CMT Eclipse laser marking machines is the CMT industrial PC. The Windows-based PC is a fanless computer with no moving parts. The complete upgrade includes: Windows software, preloaded laser software, 17" monitor and mount, membrane keyboard and shelf.

Dot peen and scribe marking methods require secure workholding. At the same time, the fixtures need to be quickly released for changeover from part-to-part. CMT has an experienced inhouse design team to provide custom workholding with “no tooling required” changeover as needed for industrial production.

Industrial machine bases for the C Series are custom-designed per application. The bases can have either castors or Hilo points for mobility. The bases may be constructed from metal plate, steel tube, or 8020 aluminum. The marking control and guarding are mounting to the base. The base and style will be recommended by CMT depending on the application.

  • I-Mark M and MS Series
  • I-Mark C Series
  • CMT Eclipse LER Rotary Turn Table
  • CMT Eclipse Tunnel Automated Conveyor

In regular dot peen and scribe marking operations no additional guarding is required. The pinch point between the moving pin and the part being marked is less than ¼”. The ¼” distance is used by OSHA to determine a pinch point of injury. The application may require guarding depending on how the pin moves to the part from the home position, or when the marking station uses an automated axis or feeding system.

Laser systems include a light-tight frame surrounding the marking source. Some safety officers elect to have the addition of the light curtain with the automated door upgrade. The light curtain is electronically tied into the laser or marking source. Any interruption of the beam between the two opposing sensors will stop the marking process and any motion. CMT designs the automated door with the feature of not closing if any resistance is met.

  • I-Mark M and MS Series - auto start
  • I-Mark C Series - auto start
  • CMT Eclipse LE16 Compact auto door/start
  • CMT Eclipse LE16HD Robot Station - auto door/start included
  • CMT Eclipse LE24 Round - auto door/start
  • CMT Eclipse LE48 Large Bed - auto door/start
  • CMT Eclipse LER Rotary Turn Table - auto door/start included
  • CMT Eclipse Tunnel Automated Conveyor - auto door/start included

Automated start features are simply a must for production manufacturing. The standard method to start the marking process for either the I-Mark or CMT Eclipse marking software is to use a Windows mouse and select the marking icon, followed by an additional mouse click to start the process. This process is only seconds, but for repetitive production marking it adds up.

  • I-Mark M and MS Series
  • I-Mark C Series
  • CMT Eclipse LE16 Compact
  • CMT Eclipse LE24 Round
  • CMT Eclipse LE48 Large Bed
  • CMT Eclipse LER Rotary Turn Table
  • CMT Eclipse Tunnel Automated Conveyor

A barcode reader is an optical scanner that can read printed barcodes, decode the data contained in the barcode and send the data to the marking controller. This ASCII digital code stream is sent through a serial port into a placeholder in the marking layout.

  • I-Mark M and MS Series
  • I-Mark I Series Station
  • I-Mark C Series
  • CMT Eclipse LE16 Compact
  • CMT Eclipse LE16HD Compact
  • CMT Eclipse LE24 Round
  • CMT Eclipse LE48 Large Bed
  • CMT Eclipse LER Rotary Turn Table
  • CMT Eclipse Tunnel Automated Conveyor

A machine-readable mark is the standard for advanced part tracking and traceability. The 2D mark is comprised of dark and light squares. The data encrypted in the code can be “read” by a camera.

  • I-Mark M and MS Series
  • I-Mark I Series Station
  • I-Mark I Series
  • I-Mark C Series
  • CMT Eclipse LE24 Round
  • CMT Eclipse LE48 Large Bed
  • CMT Eclipse Tunnel Automated Conveyor

The positioning of the marking head is important for a variety of reasons. For dot peen and scribe marking processes, the marking head must be positioned very near the part. However, the part needs room to be moved in and out of the marking fixture.

The 6” electric approach is designed for rugged industrial environments and heavy production requirements. The electric powered stage can be set to multiple positions for every marking cycle. This solution is perfect for flexible operations with multiple marking surfaces or parts.

  • I-Mark I Series Station - included
  • I-Mark IM300 Dual station
  • I-Mark C - custom designs

The I-Mark dot peen and scribe systems are used in automated robot work cells. When the part is held by the root during the marking process a pedestal mounted marking station is a perfect fit.

The pedestal mount is also used to quickly install a marking station along a conveyor line. Single- or double-headed stations are available.

CMT can design and build custom solutions with customer-provided machine specifications. CMT works with manfuacturers to provide the marking solution to exactly match their requirements. The requirements not only include the marking details, but the machine design. The customer specified essentails include:

  • Paint color
  • Sensor brands
  • Safety protocols
  • Cylinder brands