Permanently Marked Injection Moulded Parts – Customized and Traceable

 

A spork is quite handy: With a spoon on one side and a fork on the other side, you can fasten small bites together and scoop up milk foam, for example. The spork is available at REA’s Fakuma booth. Speaking of milk foam: Who could resist a coffee break with a free espresso from the barista? It’s even better when the cup used for it—just like the spork mentioned earlier—is manufactured right before your eyes and immediately marked with your own name. All of this is made possible by two turnkey solutions that REA Elektronik and BOY will be showcasing at Fakuma 2026.

 

The “Electric Barista” at the Dr. Boy booth combines injection molding technology and marking expertise with coffee culture. At an order terminal, trade show visitors can order a specialty espresso and enter their name. The BOY 50 Electric injection molding machine then produces the cup from INEOS Styrolution’s food-grade NAS30, which has been colored with AF-Color’s laser-sensitive SAN 901082 LA white combo masterbatch. A BOY LR 5 Linear Handling system removes the cup and places it in the cabin of a REA LASER Fiber Laser for marking. The focused light reacts with the additive, causing a color change in the cup material—resulting in razor-sharp images of text and logos. 

 

A UR robot then takes the cup—now marked with the customer’s name—fills it with the desired beverage at a coffee machine, sprinkles it with cocoa powder, and hands the cup to the trade show visitor. Similarly, a few meters away at the REA booth, a BOY injection molding machine produces the spoon-and-fork combination, which is then marked in the laser cabin according to the visitors’ individual preferences.

 

“To some trade show visitors, these two application examples may seem like gimmicks,” says Daniel Wege, Business Development Manager at REA. “But we’re using them to demonstrate how injection-molded parts can be marked with variable data immediately after production using our laser technologies—inline, traceable, cost-effective, and compliant with standards—including fast adaptation without downtime during product changeovers.” It doesn’t matter whether the product information is applied alphanumerically, as with the Spork and cup, or whether it’s a code that allows access to this and much more data, as with the Digital Product Passport.

 

“Our collaboration with REA has continued to strengthen over the past few years,” says Dr. Patrick Messer, Head of Application Engineering, Service & Production at Dr. Boy. “The direct line of communication and the resulting short decision-making paths enable us to act decisively and fast on joint projects.” He adds: “Our injection molding machines are not only exceptionally compact in design; they also enjoy a reputation in the market for being particularly energy-efficient. This combination is currently in greater demand than ever. Specifically, our BOY XS E has a power consumption of just 750 W in the application shown here.”

 

In addition, REA is showcasing further digital coding and marking solutions for thermoplastics, thermosets, and elastomers at its booth. These include the REA LASER ExtruMark 200, the laser-based, mobile turnkey solution for inline marking of extruded plastic parts, as well as UV-curable inks for colored marking of rubber and plastic components using digital printing.