Laser Marking Technology

Laser Marking Examples

Marking result as a function of laser parameters

Laser marking is a clean, fast, non-contact process which relies on the intense heat of a focused laser beam to permanently modify the surface of the material being marked. The mark can take many forms like: black carbonization, bleaching or changing the colour of a colorant in the material, physical modification of the surface finish, scribing a shallow groove by vaporization, controlled modification of the surface by melting or a combination of any of these processes.

The type of marking is dependent on the characteristics of the laser. High peak power enables engraving, while the wavelength determines the type of interaction with the material. Above 700 nm the interaction is mainly thermal. At lower wavelengths such as 532 nm and 355 nm of frequency doubled and tripled Nd: YAG lasers cause a photochemical reaction.

The marking itself can consist of alphanumeric characters, bar-codes, 2D ID Matrix, serial numbers, logos and graphics which are applied on metals, semiconductors, plastics, ceramics and other materials. In some cases the marks must be highly visible and attractive, in other cases the marks are made on obscure places or small enough to be only visible using magnification.