What does laser marking mean?
Marking industrial products individually by laser
Laser marking is an umbrella term. It includes various laser marking, laser coding and laser marking processes for products and objects using a powerful laser system. As laser marking is ideal for product marking in series production, it is primarily used in industry and production. Products made of almost any material can be marked fast, automatically, permanently, highly precisely and individually using laser light.
The advantages of laser marking
Permanent, forgery-proof and cost-effective
Laser marking and laser marking permanently change the material. Laser marking offers consistently high quality and precision. Even extremely small fonts and detailed graphics are displayed clearly and legibly.
The laser coding is extremely resistant to abrasion, heat and acids and is very difficult to remove or change. This forgery-proof marking therefore enables the complete traceability of raw materials and end products and offers very good protection against plagiarism.
In addition, laser marking is a cost-effective and economical method because no consumables such as adhesive labels, stickers or foils are required. Devices and systems for laser coding are generally robust and extremely low-maintenance, meaning that service costs are usually low.
Which materials are suitable for laser marking?
Versatile application possibilities depending on the laser beam source
Lasers can be used to mark almost all materials. Depending on which materials are to be marked by laser, different laser beam sources are used: either solid-state lasers such as fiber lasers and Nd:YAG lasers orCO2 Lasers , which belong to the group of gas lasers.
Materials suitable for marking with fiber lasers include harder materials such as:
- Metals and hard metals such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, silver, gold, titanium
- Plastics such as PE, PP, PVC, PS, PU/PUR, PET, polyester, silicone, ABS
- Special materials
The following materials are suitable for marking with CO2 Lasers :
- Organic materials such as wood, leather, paper, cardboard and foodstuffs
- Plastics such as PE, PP, PVC, PS, PU/PUR, PET
- Anodized aluminium
- Glass such as window glass, drinking glasses, mirrors
- Rubber such as elastomers and thermosets (BR, NBR, IIR, EPDM, CR and IR)
- Silicone such as MQ, VMQ, PVMQ, PMQ, FMQ, FVMQ
- Packaging and packaging material
The following materials are suitable for marking with the Nd:YAG laser:
- Metals such as steel, stainless steel, anodized aluminium, titanium, copper
- Plastics such as PE, PP, PVC, PS, PU/PUR, PET, polyester, silicone, ABS
- Ceramics
- Foils such as acrylate foils
Tempering, engraving, ablation, foaming, color change
Various laser marking processes
The term laser marking covers various processes. Which process is used depends in particular on the material of the product or workpiece and the desired quality of the marking. The most important laser marking methods are
Tempering:
Temper marking is used to mark ferrous metals. The heat of the laser beam triggers an oxidation process that changes the color of the metal surface. Tempering colors can be produced withCO2 or fiber lasers, depending on requirements.
Engraving:
In laser engraving, the laser beam removes material from the workpiece. To do this, it melts into the material and vaporizes it, producing a small indentation. Engraved markings are extremely permanent. Products and workpieces made of metal, plastic, wood, cardboard, paper, fabric and foil can be engraved.
Ablation:
During ablation,CO2 or fiber lasers remove the top layer of material, varnish or paint by heating and evaporating it. The laser marking is produced by the usually large color contrast between the top layer and the exposed base material. A common application is the day-night design.
Color change/foaming:
Laser-capable plastics can be permanently marked through color change and foaming by laser. The laser beam triggers chemical reactions that produce a color change and the material foams due to escapingCO2. This marks the workpiece visually and haptically.
