Marl invests $187,000 in prototyping

Marl International has invested $187,000 in tools for prototype and small batch production in order to handle growing demand for its specialist LED lighting assemblies.

The investment will allow Marl to turn around prototypes of its bespoke lighting solutions significantly faster. The company handles the whole process - from design to prototyping, volume manufacturing and test - on a single site.

The new machining centre and printed circuit board (PCB) router will allow Marl to turn around most prototypes within a week of the acceptance of a design by its customers. The tools produce housings, mechanical parts and circuit boards straight from the computer-aided design (CAD) output generated by Marl’s design team.

“Marl’s strength is our ability to produce energy-efficient lighting solutions for specific customer requirements,” said Managing Director Adrian Rawlinson. “Well-known organisations that we have supplied include the Formula 1 Association, British Energy, British Waterways Board, Network Rail and Nokia Siemens Networks.

“We have also been very successful in engineering our own products to address specific market opportunities, such as infrared LED assemblies for use by the security forces and security lights. The investment we have made will allow Marl to be even more agile when addressing these kinds of opportunities in future.”

Marl has invested in an LPKF Protomat S100 PCB routing machine, a Hurco TM6 2-axis CNC (computer numerical control) lathe and a Hurco VM20 3-axis machining centre. The Hurco machines increase Marl’s capacity to produce prototype housings and mechanical parts by 50% and doubles the company’s rate of mould-tool production. Both machines feature a high degree of automation, allowing designs to be built straight from the CAD files generated by Marl’s design team.

The LPKF PCB router eliminates the need for Marl’s staff to handle hazardous etching chemicals. This CNC machine also works direct from CAD files and can build single- or double-sided boards with up to two layers. It can produce aluminium clad boards, which are important for designs where thermal management is a factor. Using the machine, Marl can produce a prototype PCB in just a few hours.