Laser Marking 150,000 Names on 1138kg Superalloy Heart Made Easy

Pryor has been at the heart of industrial marking since 1849 and is proud to be a part of The Heart of Steel project, in partnership with sculptor Steve Medhi and the British Heart Foundation.

Pryor is using the specially adapted Portable Laser Marking System to engrave 150,000 names onto the curved panels of the Heart of Steel which is set to become part of the widely anticipated Yorkshire landmark sculpture ‘The Steel Man’

Watch sculptor Steve Medhi laser marking names on the Heart of Steel:

Thousands of people have already signed up to add their own names, the names of relatives, or loved ones, to the Heart. Each name costs £20 and part of every donation will support the British Heart Foundation’s lifesaving heart research programme. To add a name to the Heart, simply visit the BHF site.

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 engraver is 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 engraves 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.

The Pryor and Steel Man teams make regular visits to Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield with the Portable Laser to engrave the thousands of names on the Heart of Steel.

The Heart is made of 136 curved Inconel superalloy panels and is a complex shape. Therefore, Pryor developed a custom mask specifically for the Heart that enables the machine to mark the panels in a safe and secure way.  

Pryor has also modified the 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.

“We are proud to have developed bespoke product components and software to enable this project to come to fruition. We are also looking forward to seeing our team help facilitate the engraving at Meadowhall. We are honoured to help create a legacy for the Sheffield and Yorkshire region, as well as supporting the vital work of the British Heart Foundation.”

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.

Steve says, “It's been a massive challenge to develop a landmark artwork that truly represents the Yorkshire region, and it seemed only right that the Steel Man should have a Heart of Steel. We felt there would be a lot of interest from the public and so we came up with the idea of adding names to the Heart. For that, we needed a company that could inscribe the names, with precision and clarity. Pryor Marking have helped me previously with the ‘Tree of Life’ at Rotherham Hospice so it seemed natural that I would turn to them to help with laser marking the Heart. Pryor are a local company and one that clearly had the expertise we were looking for. From the first conversation with them, I knew we were on our way to creating the final piece of the jigsaw and one that is helping our endeavour to raise vital funds for The British Heart Foundation as well.”

Visit the Steel Man official website for more information.

This article features with industry magazine Automation Update, along with Industry Magazine Engineering Update and Machinery Market.