Laser marking is very often used as a way of permanently
We see that most forms of engraving result in a loss of some of the marked material when it is etched away, Laser markingresults in essentially no loss of material which is best in our interest. Instead, the laser when used to create a shift in the color of the material, it creates a visible, virtually not distinguishable mark with minimal real impact to the item.
Most common plastics can be laser marked, and the process is used on everything from identification of badges to complimentary pens. Given its indelible nature, marking by means of laser is gaining its use in industry for bar codes and other forms of inconspicuous tracking.
An added benefit of having it for marking is environmental: with no inks or solvents used, the impact is very minimal. Together with lower cost, this factor becomes a decisive one for many companies and individuals which are very environmentally-conscious.
We classify marking in three main results, depending on the material which gets affected and the laser used for marking the item. Charring which is indeed not required occurs when the absorbed energy heats up the surrounding material enough to create a slight degradation, resulting in a black mark. We see that foaming occurs in the case of plastic marking when the surrounding temperature is raised enough to cause the polymers to degrade to gasses, forming small bubbles. And the most commonly seen ablation occurs when the material becomes extremely hot and the plastic degrades completely, leaving a clean depression. The main popular use of marking with laser in recent years has been in the bar-coding and certifying of diamonds which are indeed the best market for laser now. Even using extremely tight beams at very low wavelengths well in the deep ultraviolet range, codes can be easily inscribed in the diamonds with virtually no external damage and with very less visibility to naked eye.
These marking can be used on all sorts of substrates including wood, metal, and fiberglass. In addition to bar codes and other tracking info, many companies use laser marking to add their logo to parts or products which gives cool look to the industrial products. An added benefit of it is that the markings can be applied in difficult to reach an area; all that is required for it is a direct line-of-sight for the laser beam.
