A growing number of government and industry regulations require clearly readable identification of products and parts. These processes have become more popular because of laser marking, laser etching, and laser engraving.
You can add distinction to your products and parts by using these three Prezzo marcatrice laser services.
What is the difference between them?
The three techniques are quite different despite appearing similar.
A key difference between the three technologies is how they change the appearance of the mark and how deep the laser penetrates.
A laser etch or engraving actually removes some of the material as it marks, in contrast to laser marking. Different depths of penetration of the laser are used in laser engraving and laser etching.
Differences between engravings, markings, and etchings
It is not possible to interchange laser engraving, etching, and marking, though they are commonly used interchangeably. The types and applications of processes used to accomplish a variety of tasks vary widely.
The Laser Marking Process
As lasers interact with surfaces, the properties and the appearance of materials change slightly.
- By moving a low-power beam slowly across materials, high-contrast marks can be created without damage to the material.
- Lasers oxidize materials and turn them black by heating them.
- A low temperature is used to anneal the surface of metal.
- Surfaces remain intact throughout this process.
Differentiating laser marking from laser engraving involves a number of factors:
- These services are available in some places, but not all.
- Using lasers to color or darken plastics or metals is called charring or annealing, respectively.
- Laser marking includes four types of processes: annealing, carbon migration, foaming or coloration.
- Medical device parts can also be made from other materials, such as titanium or stainless steel.
- Laser markers can be used to mark identifiers such as bar codes, UID codes, QR codes, logos, etc.
Engraving using a laser is a laser-powered process
Through laser engraving, the surface of a material is physically removed to reveal a cavity at eye level.
- Lasers produce high temperatures, which result in vaporizing material as they engrave.
- It is quick because of the vaporization caused by the pulses.
- An optical and tactile cavity is created.
- To engrave deeper, you need to repeat the process several times.
Laser marking is a subfield of engraving, but there are still a few important differences.
- It is possible to etch, deep engrave or ablate a laser engraving (depending on the surface you’re engraving on).
- Generally, the most popular option for someone who wants something personalized or customized.
- It is not ideal to use safety critical markings.
- The maximum depth of engraving a metal can be 0.020 inches, but the maximum depth of engraving a graphite can be 0.125 inches.
- Lasers allow you to mark quickly.
- These parts can be made more wear-resistant.
- One of the uses of this machine is engraving serial numbers and logos.
- Engraving can be done on almost any surface, including metal, plastic, wood, leather, and glass.
Laser engraving should also be compared to traditional engraving:
- Materials can be used in a variety of ways.
- A laser engraves jewelry more easily than a traditional engraving process.
- There are more fonts available in this program.
- It is less likely that the product will be damaged or deformed.
- Compared to laser engraving, conventional engraving is slower.
It is possible to trace laser markings in their entirety
The advantage of laser marking is that it is permanent. In addition, the marking process can be performed at the beginning of the production process, unlike other marking methods.
You keep the high-quality marks throughout the parts’ lifetime, even after treatments like shot blasting and e-coating. We won’t degrade the quality of a barcode, data matrix code, or alphanumeric serial number.
Consumables are not available
In addition to simplifying the marking process, no consumables are required, which contributes to improving safety and health in the workplace by replacing technologies that use chemicals or inks. Additionally, eliminating consumables reduces annual operation costs.
Metals are best marked with fiber laser systems
Solid-state lasers are sometimes considered fiber laser systems. Laser sources contain optical fibers containing rare-earth metals, like ytterbium. Lasers with this wavelength have a wavelength of about 1 micrometer (1064 nm). Fiber laser marking works well on most metals.
Organic materials are best marked with gas-state lasers
Lasers that use gas as a source include a gas-state laser. Gas lasers are most commonly known as CO2 lasers. The laser marking systems use wavelengths between 9 micrometers and 10.2 micrometers (9,000 – 12,000 nm). These wavelengths are good for most organic compounds. Metals, however, do not react as well to these wavelengths as fiber lasers do.