A laser is a short form of light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. To cut it short it means that an energetic particle is vibrated at high speed that it produces a beam of light that is electromagnetic in nature. This beam of light is called a laser. Laser Marking has different uses varying from medical sciences to large industries.
TYPES OF LASER MARKING
There are different types of Laser, and important of them are described below.
- Laser Engraving
- Laser Annealing
- Laser Etching
Laser Engraving
Laser engraving is a technique that is used to inscribe something deeper surface of the material it is used against. It’s a permanent marking and help manufacturers to identify their products.
Laser Annealing
As compared to Engraving this technique uses a slow beam of light which increases its temperature slowly. This slow heating is favored by oxidation when environmental oxygen mixes with it. After cooling down there is a rusty appearance of things written on it. This process is called Laser annealing.
Laser Etching
It’s the same process as the above two in which a laser beam is focused on the metal surface which causes it to heat up but the difference here is that instead of vaporizing the surface as in engraving it causes rises in the surface which can be felt when touched. This is used for marking surfaces like Atm cards etc.
HOW MUCH DOES LASER MACHINE COSTS
There are three types of laser marking machines, and each one of these costs differently.
- Laser Engraver: Laser engraver cost around 3500$ to 28000$
- Co2 Laser marking device: It costs around 4000$ to 70000$
- Ultraviolet laser marking device: It is the most expensive one, costs around 10k$ to 30k$
BENEFITS OF USING LASER MARKING
- ECO-FRIENDLY: It’s an eco-friendly process of engraving metals. It doesn’t cause pollution which is dangerous to living life.
- IDENTIFICATION: It is used by industries to mark their product thus its a source of identification. It helps when a customer claims a warranty and you have doubts about the product.
- PREVENT FRAUD: It prevents fraud by allowing manufacturing companies to identify original products and ensure that customer get an original product for what he has paid for.
- QUALITY: Most important benefit of laser marking is that it engraves a product with affects its built-in quality.
- MAINTENANCE COST: The maintenance cost of laser marking is less than its counterparties.
DISADVANTAGES OF USING LASER MARKING
- HIGH INITIAL INVESTMENT: Although it was said to be cost-effective in the long run the initial cost of this product is high as compared to other traditional competitors.
- NO 3D WRITING: Laser marking only works in two dimensions so if we want a 3d engraving our laser technology is not up to the mark for now.
- MIGHT BE A PROBLEM WITH DEEP ENGRAVING: Thick metal engraving can be a problem with laser marking because of its less penetration power.
WHERE THESE LASER MARKINGS ARE USED
Laser marking is used in the following industries:
- Automotive Industry
- Metal engraving
- Marking plastics
- Drilling a hole through delicate metals
- Cutting on small chips