Anyone who has spent time in a manufacturing setting knows that heavy machinery often generates significant noise. Pin stamping machines are no exception. While most direct part marking systems stay well below acceptable decibel levels, others can reach dangerously high volumes if not properly managed. How can you achieve quieter marking processes in your facility?
Many industries, including automotive, fabrication, and oil and gas, rely on deep marking for identification and traceability, often utilizing pin marking technology. Dot peen applications, thanks to their carbide pins that directly impact materials, can create deep, durable markings—but these can also be quite noisy, depending on the material being marked.
Certain products, especially hard, hollow components, tend to produce higher decibel levels. Examples include:
- Metal tubing
- Downhole pipes
- Wheel rims
- Flanges
If left unaddressed, these noise levels can become challenging to manage, posing risks of hearing damage and other issues. Fortunately, there are multiple strategies to mitigate dot peen marking noise if you identify potential hazards. So, if you believed personal protective equipment (PPE) was the sole solution, think again.
Your plant's decibel levels don't have to keep you awake—literally or figuratively. Discover how you can achieve quiet marking while maintaining the deep, permanent marks required by your industry.
**Related Products: Achieve fast, quiet marking with MECCO’s Scribe Marking Machine**
- What Are the Noise Level Standards in Industry?
- How Do You Know If Noise Is a Problem in Your Operation?
- What Are the Risks of Industrial Noise?
- How to Control Industrial Noise for Pin Marking
- Pin Marking Machine vs. Scribe Marking Machine: What Should You Choose?
- Find the Right Marking Solution for Better Noise Control
---
**Noise Level Standards in Industry**
It's widely acknowledged that manufacturing generates various noise levels. But how loud is too loud?
Occupational noise is regulated globally. Manufacturing employees face particular risks due to their work environments. In the U.S., approximately 22 million manufacturing workers have been exposed to hazardous noise levels.
These risks, however, are preventable. The U.S. Department of Labor enforces standards to safeguard workers. OSHA's noise exposure standards stipulate that sound levels should not exceed 90 dBA over an eight-hour day, known as the permissible exposure limit (PEL). With their 5 dBA exchange rate, as exposure time decreases, the threshold increases. For example, at four hours of exposure, the maximum dBA is 95. At 15 minutes, it reaches 115 dBA, and so on.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sets its eight-hour exposure limit at 85 dBA, based on updated research. NIOSH also employs a lower exchange rate of 3 dBA, making the 15-minute limit 100 dBA.
Internationally, thresholds vary. In the EU, the European Directive 2003/10/EC caps the maximum at 87 dBA. Countries like Denmark and Norway set it at 85 dBA.
**Related Read: 6 Reasons Why Manufacturing Traceability is Essential Now**
---
**Identifying Noise Issues in Your Operation**
Pin marking is essential for many operations, especially those needing compliance with industry regulations or implementing traceability programs. How can you continue marking products effectively while ensuring employee safety?
Dot peen marking noise levels vary greatly depending on the material and product being marked. For instance, a hollow steel component amplifies sound and creates louder noise compared to a solid piece that absorbs most sound waves.
To determine if noise is a potential issue in your operation, consider these questions from OSHA:
1. Do you experience ringing or humming in your ears?
2. Have you noticed temporary hearing loss?
3. Do you need to raise your voice to communicate with someone three feet away?
4. Have you conducted a sound level test indicating decibel levels exceeding allowable thresholds?
Answering "yes" to any of these suggests a potential problem. Both OSHA and NIOSH offer sound measurement tools. NIOSH provides a free Sound Level Meter app downloadable from their site, developed by acoustic engineers and hearing loss experts.
At MECCO, our experts use similar tools in our lab to test mark customer products and measure decibel levels.
**Resource: Let Us Test Mark Your Parts and Provide a Complementary Report. Request Your Test Today.**
---
**Risks of Industrial Noise**
Protecting employees is paramount. How do you safeguard both people and your business from industrial noise dangers?
If you've ever heard the sound of metal on metal during a pin marking operation, you might have been exposed to over 100 dB.
How does this level of sound impact individuals?
One early sign of noise hazards in the workplace is irritation and stress. Overstressed operators may struggle to maintain peak performance, reducing productivity.
Over time, this exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss. Repeated or prolonged exposure damages nerve endings in the ear, preventing the ability to hear high-frequency sounds and potentially impairing speech comprehension. Since there's no medical treatment to reverse permanent hearing loss, these consequences can be devastating.
Such injuries not only affect employees but also impact entire companies. Regulations mandate reporting hazardous noise-related injuries. However, studies suggest that between 20% to 70% of recordable workplace injuries and illnesses go unreported. Workers can file complaints and, in some states, seek workers' compensation benefits if they believe their hearing has been harmed on the job.
---
**Controlling Industrial Noise for Pin Marking**
If you've determined noise levels are problematic in your facility, how can you minimize risks?
Every operation should evaluate options carefully to mark parts as safely and efficiently as possible.
OSHA categorizes industrial noise control into four main areas:
1. **Engineering Controls**: Their primary recommendation is to modify or replace noisy sources with quieter alternatives. Fortunately, you can update or replace your dot peen equipment if it exceeds noise thresholds. This is typically the most feasible technological solution and can often eliminate the need for subsequent steps.
2. **Administrative Controls**: Adjusting your workplace to reduce noise exposure is another approach. Modifications include altering when dot peen machines operate and limiting operator exposure time.
3. **Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs)**: Earplugs and other HPDs can effectively reduce noise exposure but are generally considered a last resort or used temporarily while other controls are implemented.
4. **Hearing Conservation Programs**: When worker noise exposure equals or exceeds 85 dBA for an 8-hour shift in a manufacturing facility, employers must implement hearing conservation programs. These include regular noise sampling, risk notification, training, and monitoring.
Consider partnering with a part marking company that prioritizes safety. At MECCO, defining safety requirements is one of our initial steps. We can even test mark your products and train your staff to ensure operational safety goals are met.
---
**Pin Marking Machine vs. Scribe Marking Machine: What Should You Choose?**
Once you recognize a noise hazard and understand your options, what's the next step?
You might find yourself in one of these scenarios:
- Your operation uses a pin marking machine for traceability, but noise levels exceed standard thresholds.
- Or, you're purchasing a new marking machine and want to make the best choice for your needs.
Here are some actions you can take:
**Replace**: If you're currently using dot peen marking, the most common low-noise alternative is a Scribe machine.
Watch this video showcasing a MECCO Scribe Marking Machine in action:
[Insert Video]
Scribers offer deep, durable marks like dot peen but operate smoothly and quietly. With an average volume of 64 dBA on aluminum tubing, the MECCO Scribe Marking Machine operates up to 30% quieter than US standards. This is a crucial step in reducing the risk of hearing loss for employees.
While dot peen machines strike a stylus across the material, Scribers push a hardened stylus into the material and drag it through. This method minimizes sound—just above conversational levels—and creates deep, durable marks for permanent identification and traceability.
Another advantage of scribing is superior mark quality. You get clean, highly readable marks instead of the dot patterns of pin marks. This makes the Scribe a popular choice for both aesthetic and quiet marking.
Although some Scribers lag in speed, MECCO offers the fastest Scribe on the market.
**Enclose**: Another way to control marking noise is by creating a physical barrier between the noise source and human ears. Enclosures can be customized to house the marking head and reduce noise.
Check out this customized pin marking system designed to meet low noise requirements. It includes light curtains and dual hand controls for safety. Place the part inside, activate the controls, and the auto door shuts and begins marking.
[Insert Video]
**Adjust**: If a Scribe or safety-enclosed pin marker isn't feasible for your operation, administrative controls, HPDs, and hearing conservation programs are viable solutions.
While these options help limit noise exposure, they don't address the root cause. That's why OSHA recommends engineering controls before considering other methods.
---
**Finding the Right Marking Solution for Better Noise Control**
Part marking is essential to your operation. Your solution should be high-quality, efficient, and safe.
The most effective solution is addressing the problem at its source. Opt for lower-noise equipment like the Scribe or a pin marking system with a safety enclosure.
When you're ready to control industrial noise caused by marking in your facility, consult the experts. MECCO has engineered impact and other marking technologies since 1889. Today, we're leaders in marking and traceability, offering innovative laser, dot peen, and scribe technologies.
Whether marking critical VINs for the automotive industry, serial numbers on pipes for oil and gas, or logos on steel for fabricators, the Scribe delivers marks that never fade while protecting your employees' hearing.
With the capability to mark characters from 1mm to 20mm in height at speeds up to six characters per second, the Scribe handles various materials of different shapes and sizes, from round or hollow to flat or thick.
To learn more about how our Scribe marking machine can benefit your business, contact our team today.
flange spring washer,curved spring washer,spring coil pring washer
Hebei Quanfang Fastener Co., Ltd , https://www.quanfangfastener.com