Product category:
Laser and electron beam welding
News Release from: Rofin-Baasel UK | Subject: Free laser marking test sampling
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 January 2007
Free laser marking test sampling
Owing to the variety of lasers that Rofin builds, there is an abundance of materials that can be marked with lasers.
Benefit from Rofin-Baasel UK's range of lasers and breadth of applications experience, as Graham Toplis of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory's Space Science and Technology Department did recently To quote him: "Quality and reliability, along with service and application support were essential prerequisites
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 30 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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High quality demonstrations and the comprehensive range of lasers at the Rofin Applications Lab conveyed an enthusiasm for technology backed by knowledge and experience".
Owing to the variety of lasers that Rofin builds, there is an abundance of materials that can be marked with lasers.
Indeed, if we were to produce a list of materials and their suitability for laser marking, it would be easier to list the materials "NOT SUITABLE" as the "SUITABLE" column would be long indeed .
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A manually-loaded turnkey laser welding system is ideal for where positioning speed and accuracy are critical for small components.
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Pulsed YAG lasers, fitted with dynamic beam positioning, offer an easy package to integrate into production automation equipment for the automotive and other industries.
Virtually all metals mark, and with so many alloys and surface treatments and finishes, every application should be considered individually to ensure the desired result is achieved.
Engraving is the most common mark and to achieve the greatest depth and finest line width, consideration has to be given to lens size and beam expansion, combined with writing speed and frequency.
This can produce little or no debris, as the beam is impacting the surface, producing a crater without oxidizing the material.
Multiple passes are often used to create more depth and a final pass with different parameters to leave an annealed mark will provide the contrast.
Plastics and paints can produce extremely toxic gases when hit with a laser, and therefore it is imperative that laser operations are conducted with suitable fume extraction and filters.
There are many recipes for plastics and modern plastics are more often created specifically for laser marking.
One of the most important aspects to ensure consistent laser marking of plastics is to identify a consistent supply of material.
It has been known for plastics manufactured in different locations to produce dissimilar marks.
The most difficult part of plastic marking can be the small process window due to the low melting point.
Some plastics can produce fragile high contrast marks that will disappear with a wipe or a small scrape.
However, other marks will improve contrast with age and a little dirt Other common materials suitable for laser marking are: * Ceramics - Use CW or high frequency and low power density to produce a whitish surface mark.
* Fired ceramic (Aluminium Oxide) - Use maximum power density and slow writing speed to produce a brown engraved mark, but care must be taken to prevent micro cracking due to thermal stress.
* Rubber marks well.
Black rubber marks well by using CW and producing an engraved mark with no contrast.
* Silicone rubber produces a grey surface mark using the same parameters as many plastics.
* Many industrial finishes (paints and powder-coats) can be diandnot;rectly marked.
Use very low power densities (often defocused) to colour change the surface without removing the paint.
* Various crystalline materials can be marked with the Nd:YAG, including diamond and quartz.
As part of the world's leading industrial laser manufacturing group, Rofin-Baasel UK offers a complete range of sources for laser marking, including Nd:YVO4 (Vanadate), Nd:YAG (lamp- and diode-pumped), fibre and CO2.
Quality, reliability, service and application support together with high quality demonstrations and a comprehensive range of lasers at the Rofin Applications Lab, convey an enthusiasm for technology backed by knowledge and experience. Request a free brochure from Rofin-Baasel UK ...
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