Laser marking is a marking technique where a beam of concentrated light is used to mark a surface.
Laser marking is mainly used for industrial purposes. It is often used to print text (e.g. serial numbers), graphics or machine-readable data (e.g. barcodes, data matrix codes) over a surface.
Laser marking works well with a wide variety of materials, including copper, plastic, glass, paper, wood, cardboard, ceramic, aluminium, steel and titanium.
Laser marking works by releasing a beam of light over a surface. Once the light interacts with the surface, it modifies its properties and appearance. As a result, the marking is achieved.
The energy released by the light beam is measured in nanometers or wavelengths. Less wavelengths equals to less powerful marking while more wavelengths means a more powerful energy release. The intensity of the wavelengths varies depending on the surface that needs to be marked. As an example, low-intensive wavelengths are used to mark surfaces like glass or plastic, which are heat-sensitive. On the other hand, high-intensive wavelengths are preferred when marking harder elements such as titanium.
In addition to this, there are different types of laser marking. Among the most common are:
Laser marking offers multiple advantages, including the following: