A brief introduction of fiber laser marking machine
A fiber laser machine basically has three main parts, including the pump, the resonator and the beam delivery system.
Main parts
The pump consists of a laser diode from which the beam is emitted and transmitted through an optical fiber to a resonator containing what is called a gain medium.
The resonator carries the gain medium, which is simply a fiber optic medium doped with rare earth elements.
The main difference between the different fiber laser applications is based on the wavelength produced, which determines the surfaces that can be marked by each type.
Metal marking is primarily ytterbium doped to give it the wavelength needed for optimal absorption and is used to mark a variety of metals and plastic materials.
The resonator combines a gain medium with a set of total and semi-reflective Bragg grating assemblies that can refract, amplify and filter the light waves to obtain the correct wavelength required for marking.
The filtered beam is then transmitted to the beam delivery system, which is simply a beam expander and a lens contained in the beam head. This is the “laser pointer” that does the marking.
Flexibility is the main advantage of fiber laser marking, thus making it the most popular engraving and marking technology in the industry because of its versatility in marking a variety of materials.
The information to be marked can also be freely chosen, including text, numbers, logos, codes, images and photos.
Color change is a common process used in laser marking.
The process provides a high contrast label on any material without damaging its surface.
In this process, the laser heats the material in a precise predetermined area, exciting the atoms and vaporizing the desired portion to provide a high quality contrast color change on the material.
Applications of Fiber Laser Marking Machines
Automotive Industry
The automotive industry has become one of the largest users of this technology. It is estimated that a car is made up of approximately 30,000 parts, either made of steel, aluminum, copper, special fibers or plastic, all of which vary in shape and size.
The following are some of the applications in the automotive industry that use fiber laser markers to achieve part marking.
- Marking seat belt parts with information such as country of origin, serial number and barcode.
- Marking various parts and buttons on the dashboard. These need to be well visible during the day and illuminated at night. Therefore, daytime and nighttime markings were used.
- Other materials, such as ceramics used in the manufacture of spark plugs, can also be marked using these methods.
You will also find fiber laser marking on engine blocks, automotive sensors, chassis VIN numbers, and motorcycle parts.
Other Industry
Fiber laser markers can be used for marking applications such as logos, QR codes, and 2D codes on automotive parts alone, in addition to high-speed marking applications and are widely used in areas such as beverages, pharmaceuticals, and extrusion, where manufacturers need to encode data such as expiration information, lot and batch numbers, and other critical production information at high speeds and with precision. Fiber laser markers provide the best industrial solution for product identification and traceability, easily marking/engraving/encoding/etching on all types of metals.
Fiber laser markers can mark on the following substrates.
- All types of plastics, such as PP, ABS, PVC, PBT, PE, etc.
- Plastic bottles
- Coated metal, coated glass, fiberglass, laminated materials, PP labels, etc.
- Acrylic
- Wood
- Foam
- Rubber
- Cast iron
- Leather and more