Laser Engraving Industrial Applications

Cutting

High power lasers have the capability of not only engraving, but cutting material. The same basic techniques and considerations are used in fabrication of many cut shapes, whether in wood or in stacked fabric for apparel manufacture, or even metals (plasma cutting). It is just all done at power levels which allow the laser to penetrate quickly through the piece rather than only at the surface level. Evacuation of released gases is often provided by a forced-air "snout" trained directly on the laser cutting area. The process is also referred as laser converting in some industies.

Part Marking
Engrave, etch, or mark product identification information such as 2-D data matrix codes, UID (Unique Identification), barcodes, text, graphics, logos, alpha-numeric serial numbers, date codes, part numbers. Any image you can create on a computer can be engraved with a laser. Good on on materials such as ceramic, titanium, plastics, stainless steel, aluminum and wood.

Barcoding
Lasers can be used to mark or engrave bar codes (barcodes) on parts made of aluminum, copper, brass, galvanized steel and stainless steel. Aluminum and stainless steel are a great materials, but marking on them is not visually effective because of the low-contrast marks. So, industrial laser marking on aluminum and stainless steel starts with a coating step. The laser interacts with the coating leaving a permanent mark on the metal surface.

Gaskets
Laser engravers can be used to cut gaskets inexpensively, fast, accurately, and cleanly.

Bare Metals
such as aluminum, steel, stainless steel, copper and brass can be marked with a readable mark.

Promotional Pieces
such as pens and magnets can be just the thing to compliment your marketing campaign.

Awards and Presentation
products are perfect for laser marking. By adding a graphic element to the piece it becomes more unique. Products with coatings such as electroless nickel plating, painted brass and anodize can be marked as well. Materials such as glass, plastics, wood and rubber are among the most common materials.

Sub Surface Laser Engraving (SSLE)

The process of engraving an image below the surface of a solid material, usually glass with an optical clarity to minimize distortion of the laser.

Sub-Surface Laser Engraving or SSLE was first used in Russia in the early 1980's. Over time, the science of this process has become an art form that applies the technique of high-powered lasers to the creation of beautiful imagery.

When the laser beam is focused within the interior of the subject crystal the energy produces a tiny micro crack. The laser produces tens of thousands of additional micro cracks to create 2 or 3 dimensional images. The surface of the crystal is not damaged because the crystal is transparent and the resulting images appear to be suspended within the crystal.