Laser part marking technology is becoming more and more important in all realms of manufacturing, from automotive to aerospace and medical industries. This is because of the growing demand from manufacturers and federal regulations to be able to track and trace products throughout their lifecycle.
One of the most common questions we get is “How do I choose the right marking technology for my application?” The truth is, marking and engraving technology is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and there are a number of factors that go into choosing the best solution for your application.
So, before you invest in marking equipment for your plant, here are three main considerations to help you in choosing the best laser technology:
1. Materials
Your first consideration is the type of material you’re going to be marking. We like to break materials down into two main classifications: Organic or non-organic.
Organic materials are those like wood, glass, plastic or paper products. Metals, steel, cast aluminum—anything that will spark when you put it into a microwave (although we don’t recommend doing that!)—is considered non-organic material.
2. Type of MarkNow that you’ve determined your material, what do you want the mark to look like? Are you looking for deep marks? Do you want more contrast in your marks?
Depending on the type of marking technology, you can create either a dark or a frosted mark. For instance, if you’re doing barcode technology and struggling with your vision systems’ ability to read the code, you’d want to use frosted backgrounds and dark marks. It’s all about your particular situation and how you want your final product to look.
3. Safety Considerations
Think about where your engraving machine is going to be placed. Will it be on the plant floor near operators, or do you have a dedicated, enclosed space for it? Will this machine be replacing another type of technology such as ink jet?
You should know that if your laser marker will be located on an open shop floor, your laser supplier should help you install a Class I laser safety system. This includes a laser-safe enclosure and warning lights, curtains to form safe entryways and other safety considerations. You can also opt for a laser workstation that includes a Class I safety enclosure and laser source in one compact unit.
If you have a Class IV laser, you would need a dedicated room that meets certain safety conditions, such as area posting, protective eyewear and a key switch so that it still meets safety requirements.
WHEN TO GO WITH FIBER LASERS
On the other hand, if you’re marking non-organic materials like metal or plastic and want contrast in your mark, fiber laser marking technology may be the best choice for your application. Fiber lasers, at 1-micron wavelength, must be in a separate room or enclosure with doors and must also follow the CDRH (Center for Devices and Radiological Health) safety considerations to make sure anyone working around it is safe.
Fiber laser technology is suitable for engraving materials like metals, rubbers, and plastics due to its high wavelength (780nm to 2200nm). The high wavelength makes it a suitable technology for permanent and difficult to remove markings. Moreover, the markings are of great quality. Therefore, laser engraving, cutting, and annealing are best with fiber lasers.
Fiber lasers possess a very negligible focal diameter. This makes them excellent, especially for permanently marking identification numbers, barcodes, and linear barcodes on metal.
Bottom line: The technology is suitable for graphics, identification numbers, 2D Data matrix, and barcode marking on different materials. These include metals, ceramics, and plastics.
Application: Fiber mark lasers offer a wide range of capabilities and produce a high-quality mark to engrave serial numbers, bar codes, 2D Data Matrix and graphics on the widest variety of materials, including metals, plastics and ceramics.
The Last but not the least, which type of laser machine i can choose from HUNST?
Features of HUNST Each Series：
You can engrave the patterns and characters you need on all metal and some plastic products. More than 50W also has the ability to cut thin metal, which is a very good choice for the jewelry industry.
If you need a laser that can process large volumes of material quickly and efficiently, Q-switched lasers are the best choice.
JPT M0Pa m7 series: normal marking + Mopa (black marking on anodized aluminum; color marking on titanium and stainless steel)
Wattage: 20~100w
- faster marking
- Anodized aluminum black marking; titanium and stainless steel color marking
- Power above 60W can be used for deep engraving and metal cutting (not suitable for precision metal products)
- High contrast and precision on materials
If you need a laser that produces high quality results on a wide variety of materials, the JPT MOPA M7 laser is the best choice.
3D series: customized products, specially designed for craft DIY customers.
- Power: 50~100W
- Laser source: Raycus/JPT MOPA M7 (optional)
- Precision 3D deep carving and precision metal cutting and special-shaped product engraving.
- Faster and more stable marking effect than standard marking;
- JPT MOPA M7 (black marking on anodized aluminum; colored marking on titanium and stainless steel)
- The 3D laser marking machine adopts a full set of BJJCZ hardware and Ezcad3 software system. The machine will not deviate from the focus when it is working, and it can track the deep arc focus in real time. This makes the efficiency and performance of this machine far superior to traditional 2D fiber laser marking machines. Completely broke the traditional two-dimensional marking mode. The machine opens up new modes for 3D marking bevels, segmented gaps, cylinders, cones, spheres and extruded surfaces.
CO2 Series: CO2 Laser Machine, widely used for DIY of Non-metal materials
- Split wear-resistant aluminum shell design.
- Built-in 4~6X beam expander in the optical path, the beam quality is good, the reliability is high, and the precision is high.
- The marking is clear, not easy to wear, no consumables are required, and the processing cost is low.
- CO2 laser marking machine can mark and cut a variety of non-metallic materials.
- CO2 metal laser tube, high beam quality, can be used repeatedly inflated, maintenance-free, sealed laser structure, eliminating the tedious maintenance of professionals.
Advantages of UV laser:
Ultraviolet laser marking machine has the advantages of short wavelength, short pulse and good beam quality. Excellent quality, high precision, high peak power. Therefore, it has excellent application characteristics. In the field of special material processing, it can reduce the thermal effect on the surface of various materials, which greatly proves the processing accuracy and laser engraving effect.
Wide range of applications:
UV laser marking machine can be applied to leather, wood, plastic, transparent glass, N95 and other textile materials, as well as colored paper, fine metal and other materials. Due to the high processing precision, it is more and more widely used in high-end fields. It's the best laser out there.