Laser Marking Basics
Learn about the various marking processes that lasers can perform.
Share
I picked up this sample at the Performance Racing Industry show. It shows the various types of marking processes that a Trumpf 6030 laser can perform.
To color plastics, the laser beam heats the surface locally, which causes some materials to become darker and others lighter in color depending on the material composition. In blackening, soot particles are generated that show the inscription in dark letters on lighter-colored plastic. To make dark plastics white, foamed marking is used whereby the laser beam melts the workpiece material locally. Small gas bubbles form in the molten material that increase the material’s volume creating foam. The processed area appears much brighter than the surrounding material and, in some cases, the marking is raised above the surface of the workpiece.
Related Content
-
6 Machine Shop Essentials to Stay Competitive
If you want to streamline production and be competitive in the industry, you will need far more than a standard three-axis CNC mill or two-axis CNC lathe and a few measuring tools.
-
How to Start a Swiss Machining Department From Scratch
When Shamrock Precision needed to cut production time of its bread-and-butter parts in half, it turned to a new type of machine tool and a new CAM system. Here’s how the company succeeded, despite the newness of it all.
-
Speeding Up Splines
Moving small- to medium-batch production from outsourced, dedicated hobbing operations to in-house, CNC multitasking machines helps job shops achieve quick turnarounds and flexibility in supplying splines for the heavy-vehicle industry. Inserted disc cutters make this transition possible.