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20 Mar 2009

Metal Marking

Traditionally metal marking has been carried out using machine marking, ink based printing and chemical etching. Lasers provide a new alternative to these traditional methods and offer several advantages. There are many types of lasers that can be used fo

Coloured or black anodised aluminium are the most common types marked by lasers. However it is also possible to mark clear anodised aluminium but this is less common. The interesting point about this type of laser marking is that either a dark or a light mark can be made dependant on the power of the laser used.

SPI Lasers’ G3 30W Pulsed Laser offers several advantages in marking anodised aluminium. The lasers higher repetition rates can take advantage of higher scan speeds and can be up to 50% faster. It can also provide better line definition due to greater spot overlap. The laser also provides a smoother ablated surface (Figure 4). This is due to the reduced central intensity in the focal spot which results in less digging into the surface.

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