Pryor Marking Technology is proud to be using their portable laser marking machine to engrave 150,000 names on the ‘Heart of Steel’ which is set to become part of a widely anticipated Yorkshire landmark sculpture called ‘The Steel Man’.
‘The Heart of Steel’ will eventually sit inside‘The Steel Man’ – a 32 metre stainless steel sculpture which will act as a beacon for the Yorkshire region and become a landmark visitor attraction in an area that is steeped in industrial history.
The Heart is 2.4m high and weighs 1138kg, and will be home to 150,000 names, all of which will be laser engraved using Pryor’s Portable Laser Marker. The Portable Laser product was the ideal choice to carry out such a project as it provides ultra-precise, high speed, permanent laser engraving on large, immobile metal objects.
The Portable Laser will engrave 90 names in 50 seconds with each letter measuring 0.8mm in height. At this size, clarity is key and the Portable Laser Marker marks with abundant detail. Laser marking is non-contact which means the engraving does not create any stress points or deformation to the material; an extremely important point in the case of the Heart of Steel.
Future names will be engraved in front of the public at Meadowhall, Sheffield’s leading shopping centre, from October 2018.
The heart is made of 136 curved panels and is a complex shape. Therefore, Pryor had to develop a custom mask specifically for the heart that enables the machine to mark on the Heart in a safe and secure way.
The company also modified its standard software to enable complete traceability of up to 150,000 names. The software records the panel and column location of every name marked, so that each individual can locate the exact position of their inscription.
Andy Hales, Project Sales Engineer at Pryor says, “The Heart of Steel project is one that fits Pryor perfectly. We were approached by the sculptor, Steve Mehdi, to laser engrave 150,000 names. As the only UK manufacturer of portable laser marking systems we are ideal to provide this service. In addition, as a Sheffield based company since 1849, we have a vested interest in the local area.
The project began as a simple idea to create a landmark for the Yorkshire region and Steve was keen to create a sculpture that would embraces the past, present and the future of the region.
