Laser marking and screen printing are gaining popularity as government and industry regulations require product and component identification to be clearly marked on items. Laser engravers are frequently used in material processing, from product development to high-volume production. Laser marking can be done on all metallic materials, making it a popular choice for a range of industries.
Many people also use laser marking for personalized items. This has formed a trend. More and more laser engraving machine manufacturers are also developing better and better. LaserPecker is one of the best developing manufacturers.
Product manufacturers have two options when they need to mark surfaces with images, text, or patterns (such as barcodes) - laser marking and screen printing. Each method has its own advantages, depending on the application.
Laser Marking
Laser marking is the oxidation or removal of material in a pattern created by a laser beam, leaving a mark where the beam contacts the surface of the material. Patterns are created on the product using a laser beam guided by a mirror or a fixed-position laser mounted above a table that can be moved.
Some of the advantages of using laser marking include:
Faster Production: Faster setup, no cleanup required, faster marking so production times will be smoother.
Cleaner and Greener: This method requires no paint or solvents.
Very precise marking: The precision of laser marking is very useful for tiny objects and tight spaces.
3D marking capability: With laser marking, you can mark circles and other 3D objects.
Can be autoclaved: This is necessary for items such as medical or dental instruments that must be sterilized regularly.
More Durable: Laser marking won't rub off after repeated use.
Reduce the chance of external contamination: Since the pattern is marked directly on the surface of the material, you don't have to worry about contamination from external sources such as pigments. And the speed of laser marking is also very fast, like LaserPecker 2, the engraving speed reaches 36000mm/min.
Advantages of Screen Printing Include:
- Provide a wider variety of colors for your designs
- More material options
- Types of Laser Marking Processes
- All laser marking processes cause the material to transform in some way when the energy of the laser beam interacts with the material. To implement each laser process, the wavelength, power,
- The duty cycle and repetition rate of the laser beam must be adjusted with extreme precision. Laser marking changes the appearance of a metal surface without removing material, while laser etching and engraving will remove part of the surface while marking.
The four most common types of laser marking include:
- Annealing: suitable for carbon-containing metals
- Carbon Migration: For Metals and Metal Alloys
- Foaming: suitable for plastics
- Coloring: suitable for metals and plastics
- There are several methods of laser marking metal:
Direct Laser Marking: Direct marking uses fiber lasers or CO2 lasers. It is called direct marking because the metal surface is heated by the energy of the laser beam, causing oxidation. This will cause the area exposed to the laser beam to darken, creating a permanent black mark. Fiber lasers can also produce bright or polished marks on surfaces.
Indirect Marking: Indirect metal marking can be accomplished by adding a coating (such as a marking compound) to the surface or removing a coating (such as paint) from the surface.
Material properties
There are many factors to consider when selecting the right laser for a marking application, including material properties such as:
- Material color
- surface treatment
- Reflectivity
- Thermal Conductivity
- When deciding whether laser marking or screen printing is best, you must first look at the application, as they each have their own advantages.
Contact HTPOW for More Information
HTPOW is a home-use precision industrial laser marking and laser engraver specialist and a partner of many well-known brands. To learn more about laser marking, or to purchase more laser engravers, please contact us today.
