WHAT IS LASER?
The term LASER is an acronym and it stands for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”. In the simplest of terms, when photons, more commonly known as light particles are excited with current, they usually emit energy in the form of light, which is then bundled into a beam. Hence, this is the process of the formation of a laser beam.
WHAT IS LASER MARKING?
Laser marking is a popular term, referring to the stamping, marking, labelling or naming of materials and workpieces in different organizations, usually with the help of a laser beam. Alongside this, several other diverse procedures have been recognized, for example, engraving also known as etching, removal of various aspects, staining, foaming and annealing.
Each and every one of these strategies or methods of laser marking has its very own pros and cons, which are usually dependent upon the requirement of the quality and the material being used. The process of laser marking specifically ensures that it gets simpler for organizations to distinguish parts amid substitution or fixing of things. Laser marking also gives clients the security and reassurance they are usually in search of when it comes to realizing that they are being given the genuine and high-grade pieces their applications have requested.
WHY DO PEOPLE MAKE USE OF LASER MARKING?
Laser marking has been bringing about a massive change in the world, as of late. This is because people have been utilizing it for a number of different purposes. Laser marking is being used all over the world by people who are interested in the advertisement of materials, signs and so much more.
Usually, people who make use of laser to engrave, also known as laser engravers, deal with typical applications such as the personal advertising materials and gifts or signs, but they also deal with industrial applications.
When the matter at hand is the applications of laser engraving metal, people use this process for their door signs, cutlery, name plates of their cars, their thermos flasks, hip flasks, locks, bottle openers, pocket knives, picture frames, key fobs, lighters, jewelry and even their precious gadgets such as their cellphones, tablets and even their laptops.
WHAT MATERIALS CAN BE ENGRAVED THROUGH LASER MARKKING?
When it comes to what kind of materials can be marked and engraved with laser beams, the list is almost never-ending. Some of the suitable materials for engravement are:
- Stainless Steel
- Aluminum
- Anodized aluminum
- Hardened metals
- Alloyed steels
- High-speed steels
- Titanium and titanium alloys
- Carbides
- Brass
- Copper
- Precious metals such as silver, diamond and gold
- Coated metals
Laser marking definitely does not end here. It can even be used to mark plastics, especially:
- Polyamide (PA)
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyoxymethylene (POM)
- Polyarylsulfone (PSU, PPSU)
- Poly ether ketone (PEEK)
- Silicone
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS)
- Polyimide PI
- Polystyrene PS
- Polymethylmetacrylate PMMA
- Polyester (PES)
- Polyethylene terephthalate PET
Other materials which can easily be engraved through the use of laser beams include laminates, foils, films and even paints.
WHAT ARE THE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN LASER MARKING?
The various processes involved in the laser marking of any material are:
1. ANNEALING MARKING:
This process known as annealing stamping offers a unique sort of laser engravement for materials such as metals. The warmth of the laser shaft starts an oxidation procedure underneath the material surface, bringing about a change in color of the metal surface.
2. STAINING:
In this process, the color of the material surface starts to change.
3. LASER ENGRAVING:
Here, the material surface is dissolved and dissipated with the laser. Therefore, the laser bar evacuates the material. In this way, the created impression in the surface is the etching.
4. REMOVING:
In this process, the laser ray gets rid of the top-most coats connected to the substrate, which results in a contrast because of the distinctive shades of the removed coats and substrate. Some well-known materials which are laser removed can be coated metals, anodized aluminum, films and foils, or laminates.
5. FOAMING:
In this process, the laser shaft liquefies a material. After that, gas bubbles are created in the material, which mirror the light diffusely. Along these lines, the stamping will turn out lighter than the zones that have not been scratched. Foaming is utilized chiefly for dim plastics.
IS LASER PRINTING A BETTER OPTION THAN PRINTING?
When people first hear about the process of getting their precious items engraved with something as severe as a laser beam, they often question whether this procedure is a better alternative than mere printing.
Depending upon whom you ask, laser marking has a few advantages over printing, some of which are:
- It is much more visible, and hence, laser marking offers not only complete permeability but very easy to comprehend printing services which, in a way, make it a much better alternative to printing because the latter just gives you an imprint most of the time, as compared to a long-lasting engravement. Unfortunately, stickers can easily tumble off and the ink used usually blurs or fades away. Thus, we can say that laser marking gives amazing prints which can easily overcome the trial of time.
- When we consider the aspect of time and speed, we can confidently say that laser marking is a quick and straightforward process. The laser engraver can easily stamp your parts quicker with significantly less time spent on the actual procedure.
- The biggest advantage the process of laser marking has over printing is the lack of maintenance and upkeep. You can literally save so much time when you have the chance to evade downtime related with cleaning (or even repair) a printer when you make use of laser printing frameworks.
- Just like we mentioned above, laser marking is a process which can be done on most materials on the surface of the earth. This flexibility and adaptability give it a major boost over printing because it doesn’t matter whether you have normal materials or metals and plastics, laser marking always has your back.
- Another advantage of choosing laser marking over printing is that laser stamping guarantees clean handling with little to no sullying, defilement and contamination. There is a high possibility of your material being burnt in a printing framework, whereas laser marking does not make use of any sort of penetration.
