Industrial solutions for
product marking & coding
Industrial solutions for
product marking & coding
Development & manufacture
"Made in Germany"
50 years of experience
in business & industry

Laser marking

What is laser marking?

Laser marking is a marking technique where a beam of concentrated light is used to mark a surface.

What is laser marking used for?

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.

How does laser marking work?

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 engraving. In this type of laser marking, the laser melts and evaporates the surface. The result is an engraved surface.
  • Laser annealing. Used to mark metal surfaces, this type of laser marking oxydates the metal surface, changing its color.
  • Laser staining. In this case, a chemical reaction in the surface is caused when the laser interacts with it. As a result, the surface changes its color.

Advantages of laser marking

Laser marking offers multiple advantages, including the following:

  • It works at high speed, marking hundreds of meters per minute.
  • It provides a high quality and precise marking, making it extremely easy to scan or read the elements that are marked.
  • It does not use consumables like ink. Costs are therefore saved compared to other marking techniques like inkjet printing.
  • It requires little maintenance.
  • It allows manufacturers to mark elements that guarantee the traceability of their products.
  • It provides a durable marking. Laser marking is permanent and very resistant to abrasion.

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Weber Marking Systems GmbH

Maarweg 33
53619 Rheinbreitbach
Germany