Lasers make low-damage marking

EF Technology provides very short energy pulses enabling high peak powers to be combined with low pulse energies to make high contrast, low damage laser marking on metals and plastics.

A new laser marking technology platform - EF Technology - which gives the user a full four year warranty and yet is readily affordable has been developed by Letchworth-based Electrox, the only fully integrated laser marking manufacturer in the UK.

The technology has been developed entirely in-house by the company's own engineers in response to a recognised need of its customers.

EF Technology is the optimum balance between performance, price and product lifetime enabling Electrox to provide customers with aggressively priced laser marking systems which perform to the highest standards of quality and reliability.

So reliable is the new laser marking platform Electrox is able to give EF Technology a four year warranty - the longest warranty available anywhere in the laser marking industry.

Electrox is renowned for its incomparable combination of state-of-the-art laser technology and exceptional customer support.

By applying innovative laser research to the industrial environment, the company has created a laser marking technology which combines simplicity, versatility, exceptionally high reliability, low maintenance and an extremely competitive price.

Howard Moore, General Manager said: "We have brought together some of the best laser physicists and industrial engineers from around the world.

Applying cutting edge laser principles and a unique light management system Electrox has created EF Technology, which unites the very best of the existing technologies with the very best of the new.

With our new technology, we have initiated an entirely new laser marking configuration to provide the total 'price-performance' package which end users and OEMs have wanted but has not been available until now.

The first system to use EF Technology is the new Raptor laser marker, which is available in the UK from the beginning of October." EF Technology provides very short energy pulses - 25ns compared with anything from 70ns to 200ns in other systems.

This enables high peak powers (up to 10kW) to be combined with low pulse energies and this facilitates high contrast, low damage marking on metals and plastics.

The highly controllable beam virtually eliminates surface damage around the mark and to delicate substrates, enabling EF Technology to be used for marking components where surface finish and retention of material integrity are paramount, especially in demanding telecommunications and automotive applications.

Near perfect beam quality and exceptional energy stability over the entire operational range mean E F Technology delivers very small spots, typically 70 micron from a 254mm lens.

Smaller spots are possible (down to 25 micron) with high speed, self tuning Digital Signal Process (DSP) galvos.

This creates high energy intensities to give a substantially improved performance compared with more traditional systems.

The high beam quality facilitates large depths of focus, so laser markers built on E F Technology are better able to mark complex, curved or awkwardly shaped components.

There is no ramping in or out of the power and pulse frequencies range from 0.1 to 100kHz.

The temporal pulse pattern permits bit maps etc to be marked easily and with high definition.

The Raptor is a compact new laser marking system with a very small laser enclosure, incorporating an optical unit fully sealed to IP67, to ensure extremely low maintenance even in hostile environments.

An annual health check is normally all that would be required.

The system is entirely air cooled, eliminating the need for water or refrigerant circuits and takes power direct from a single phase socket outlet.

Raptor is supplied as a modular unit for production line integration but can equally be supplied with a safety workstation as a turnkey solution.

The 5U, 19in rack electronics enclosure is about the same size as a tower PC.

Raptor is equally proficient in high and low volume applications.

Moore said: "EF Technology and the Raptor are the result of our determination to supply customers with systems and solutions that we have designed and developed ourselves, from scratch.

We believe that because we take total control of all stages of manufacture, including the control electronics, laser scanning head and marking software, customers can have complete confidence in an Electrox laser marking system." Since it was established more than thirty years ago, Electrox has maintained its position at the forefront of lasers for industrial applications, combining the latest laser competences with clever systems design and inventive applications engineering.

It has brought together technologists from around the world to create innovative yet practical and easy to use laser marking systems for industrial applications.

Always entrepreneurial, Electrox is founded on a process of constant innovation and development of industrial laser marking systems.

Developing robust marking solutions in response to market requirements, it has revolutionised the market during the past twelve months by introducing an almost entirely new product range and developing pioneering laser technologies.

Offered in modular form for integration into production lines and as a range of turn-key solutions, Electrox laser marking systems are suitable for a wide range of applications, including metals, glass, plastics and textiles, wood, leather and coated materials.

Products range from the ground breaking Raptor EF Technology laser marker, the Scorpion fibre laser marker, the Razor CO2 laser marker, the Cobra range of Nd:YAG and Nd:Vanadate laser markers and the Scriba Nd:YAG laser marking system.

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