Laser marking affordability reaches SMEs

The development of 'affordable' laser marking machines is meeting the increasing demand from many industrial and domestic product sectors for product traceability.

The fact that the price of a laser marking system based on a diode pumped YAG laser has fallen from GBP 50,000 six years ago to today's GBP 25,000, said general manger and director of Electrox, Howard Moore, means that laser marking is now within reach of SMEs.

Electrox, based in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, UK, has installed more than 2500 laser marking units in 40 countries, of which over 450 are being used in the USA.

"The market is extremely competitive," said Moore, "But of the suppliers out there, only three to four can actually design, develop and manufacture laser marking systems".

"The rest 'cobble' systems together - they can not do development in-house." Electrox's biggest competitor is Rofin Sinar, and occasionally, Control Laser.

In the UK, Electrox's main competitors are HK Technologies, Fova (Vertek) and Edward Pryor.

All research, development and manufacturing are carried out in Letchworth.

In the USA, Electrox has sales offices across the continent employing a direct sales team supported by engineering services.

Electrox maintains a 'core' of three engineers in the USA to support the installed laser-marking base.

Moore and Gawn estimate the current USA laser marking market to consume some 1200-1500 units/year, of which Electrox ships around 100 units/year.

The US laser marking market is seen by Electrox as offering the most growth and development - particularly in aerospace and medical equipment.

The company has recruited recently a US sales manager, Jeff Matmuster.

"We intend to put more resources into the US as we increase our market share," said Moore.

US market share for Electrox is 15-20% and is also 15-20% worldwide.

Electrox sells its YAG laser units to system builders in Asia, while all 'total solution' systems for the US market are built in the UK.

Electrox employs 68 in Letchworth.

The traditional applications area for laser marking is in computer keyboards, telephone keypads, rubber products and painted materials.

Electrox claims that some 40% of keyboards are laser marked by its systems worldwide.

Growing usage of laser marking is seen in medical equipment - such as matrix coding on surgical instruments.

Here, authorities wish to trace which instruments have been used for individual patients.

Other applications include alloyed stainless steel (SS) spinal implants and titanium pacemaker housings.

Laser marking does not damage the surfaces of such products.

Smallest components marked - down to 2-3mm diameter - include needles and stents.

The pharmaceutical industry is also a growing market for laser marking.

In manufacturing, laser marking is imparting logos and part numbers on, for example, metal cutting tools, press punches, gears, bushes, bearings and electrical/electronic enclosures and switchgear.

The automotive industry is demanding the marking of 'safety-critical' components and 'important' and plastics/composites components.

Electrox's sales and marketing director, Ray Gawn, commented that the aerospace area is a developing laser marking market, with, for example, approvals from companies like Rolls-Royce, though there is still an issue on the laser marking of rotating parts.

Laser marking is also a growing market in armaments marking - such as in the USA - and for marking 'corporate gifts' and tags for farm livestock.

Potential markets include the food industry, which is currently a big user of CO2 lasers and inkjet systems.

"We can offer food manufacturers 'marking on the fly'," said Gawn.

'Difficult' materials include light-coloured plastics, which can be marked with an Electrox Validate laser.

Glass is not directly markable with YAG lasers, but glass surfaces can be coated with a paste to encourage a laser etch.

There are still a few applications where a CO2 laser is used, for example, in marking or imparting decorative surfaces on wooden products.

* Laser marking systems - an important development is the use of the same system electronics and software for either a YAG or CO2 laser system.

As Gawn explained, two separate software/electronics systems were necessary before.

In terms of SME 'affordability', Electrox's repackaged 'Cobra ES' brought the price down to GBP 25,000, which will, says Gawn: "Suit jobshops that require a portable workstation." Electrox offers a range of laser markers to suit different applications and can be 'tailored' for special applications.

For example, a system can be configured to mark products on a machine tool.

Gawn commented that in general, as laser beam quality goes up, then laser powers - and the prices - come down.

Also, the fact that lower power lasers can be air-cooled, rather than water-cooled, has an effect on price as well.

Electrox emphasise the reliability of its systems and offers a 'true' 10,000h warranty (* Author - Mike Page).

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