Dexter-Russell is on the cutting edge with LNA Laser

Dexter-Russell, Inc. is the oldest and largest manufacturer in North America of professional cutlery. The company is the successor to the two oldest American cutlery manufacturers: The Harrington Cutlery Company (1818) and the John Russell Cutlery Company (1834).

Henry Harrington, a New England craftsman and inventor, established the first cutlery company in the United States on June 18, 1818 in Southbridge, Massachusetts and in 1884, Harrington introduced the Dexter trade name.  Another New Englander, John Russell, founded his Green River Works on March 1, 1834. After having made his fortune in the cotton industry, Russell, at age 37, turned his energies to the manufacturing of quality cutlery. He built his water powered factory on the banks of the Green River near Greenfield Massachusetts.

Over twelve years ago, Dexter-Russell purchased three LNA DPSS laser marking systems and most recently, upgraded to LNA’s LASF fiber laser technology. According to Gary Goguen, Project Engineer at Dexter-Russell, “Previously, all blade markings were done by electrochemical etching.”  Laser marking offers greater flexibility and permanent marking without the need for environmentally unfriendly chemicals.

Goguen added, “We produce the broadest line of cutlery in the world with over 2,500 unique part numbers.  The LNA system permits us to simply pull up the appropriate file for marking each part.”  With appropriate fixturing, multiple parts can be laser etched in a batch process.

“The LNA Laser systems are industrial quality machines which provide us the reliability, repeatability and accuracy for our production requirements,” said Goguen.  The finest cutlery manufactured uses the highest accuracy laser marking from LNA Laser.