How to use your Cougartron weld cleaner to mark metal

Marking & Etching | Weld cleaning | Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Use your Cougartron weld cleaner to mark metal

Updated – August 10, 2020

Cougartron’s weld cleaning machines are primarily intended for activities such as weld cleaning, rust removal, and passivation.

However, you can use our weld cleaners for effective marking and etching as well.

But how is this actually possible?

Both weld cleaning and marking processes use electricity and electrolytic fluids to obtain the desired results.

Thus, the difference between electrolytic marking and weld cleaning is subtle and mainly concerns the way the metal surface is affected.

You can transform your weld cleaner into a marking machine by slightly adjusting your work process and adding specialized accessories to your equipment.

So, what is the actual difference between the equipment used for cleaning and marking?

Equipment required for electrolytic marking

In order to start marking with your Cougartron weld cleaner, you will need a specialized Etching Set that was specifically developed to give an additional marking functionality to all Cougartron weld cleaners – Cougartron Basic Etching Set. The Set is compatible with all Cougartron weld cleaners and can be used on and off-site, since it is very lightweight and comes in a practical carry case.

Let´s break down the equipment needed for marking with a Cougartron weld cleaner:

• Cougartron Marking Head

One of the main differences is the use of marking head instead of weld cleaning brush. Thanks to a special adaptor, the marking head is easily screwed into the handle cable that normally holds the weld cleaning brush.

To ensure the effectiveness of the marking process, you must combine the marking head with a white felt and yellow fabric or carbon felt. This whole assembly is secured with Cougartron O-ring.

• Marking Fluids

In addition, you also have to use specially developed marking fluids instead of the regular phosphorus-based fluids we use for weld cleaning. Marking fluids are also mild and low-risk but have a slightly different chemical composition.

The Basic Etching Set comes with CGT-S1 (Stainless Steel Marking Fluid) and CGT-N1 (Neutralising fluid), but thanks to a wide range of Cougartron Marking Fluids,  it is possible to mark onto almost any metal surface – aluminum, mild steel, copper, zinc, nickel, brass, and even titanium. If you cant see a fluid you need in our selection, please contact us at sales@cougartron.com to see if we can help you develop the fluid you need.

• Marking Stencils

The role of stencils is to transfer your design pattern (e.g. logos, dates, part numbers) to the metal surface. Stencils are independently printed or custom-made to order. Cougartron offers two types of stencils – single-use and multi-use.

The multi-use stencil can last up to 500 uses and it’s ideal for marking logos and designs without changing production information. Multi-use stencils are custom made and the price is calculated based on your size requirements and design. The single-use stencils are to be used for information that keeps changing such as dates and part serial numbers. They are produced using specialized Label Printers.

• Label Printers

Label printers are used to produce single-use stencils for electrochemical marking. They are either stationary or handheld – but always lightweight and convenient to use. Depending on their size and capacity, the printers can provide a variety of stencil sizes suitable for common marking applications.

Click here to learn more about using our printers and stencils.

 

Cougartron Etching Set

The video below demonstrates the use of the Basic Etching Set and provides a detailed guide on the utilization of its components.

The Basic Etching set is compatible with all Cougartron weld cleaners including ProPlus models bought after November 2019 (the older ProPlus model is only compatible with ProPlus etching set with footswitch).

Update:
The set has been updated to include a pack of 10 white felt sheets instead of the etching roll (eliminates the need to cut fabric to size) – and we’ve also added a yellow fabric (combine together with white felt) for improved marking performance.

NEW! – Use Cougartron ProPlus together with the Basic Etching Set

We have made the new Cougartron ProPlus model compatible with the Basic Etching Set for improved user experience and workflow. You will no longer have to use the footswitch in the ProPlus Etching set.
However, you can still purchase the ProPlus Etching set (along with the footswitch) for use with only older ProPlus machine model (purchased before December 2019).

The ProPlus is equipped with two marking functions which makes it different from other Cougartron weld cleaner models:

• Unique Marking Timer Settings – 5,10, and 15 seconds work intervals suitable for different marking requirements
• Continuous marking – Shared functionality with other machines, the marking head remains active until it’s switched off manually.

Our new video below demonstrates effective marking with ProPlus and the Basic Etching Set – and shows you how to use the timer settings in different production situations.