Thursday, August 18, 2011

Laser Engraving and Laser Etching- an innovative tool!

The process of making engravings in a precise manner of various types on any kind of material that a company uses in the manufacturing of its wide variety of products is known as laser engraving. The technique has become so popular in a very short span of time that it has fast started replacing the metal tool bits which were earlier used to etch upon products.
Three workable components are there in the machine. The first component is the main laser. This is used to target or direct the beam. Second component is the controller which is basically a computer that assists in the beam movement and positioning. The third and the last component is the surface area on which the etching or engraving is actually carried out. The laser is shaped like a pencil emitting the very high intensity beam. This beam helps in engraving and etching upon the various surfaces on which it is directed. The main objective of controllers is to control the intensity of laser beam, its direction, etc so as to carry out the job in a precise way.
Usually where the engraving is supposed to be done is the point of focus of the laser. It is generally very small in size and it brings about material changes in the surface area when the intensity of thee laser increases. The material is at times burned away in case when the high amount of heat is applied. It also sometimes results in small cracks or fissures in the material. In such cases, material layers are removed and the engraving is done.
Laser engraving and etching is applied in various fields. It not only has several managerial applications but it also assists in the overall identification of the product by engraving its serial number and other details on the product. The names of the company, its logo, various signs, etc are engraved. It also engraves speed, voltage, pressure, etc and other features of the product. In the field of product tracking as well, laser engraving and etching is commonly used.
In case of manufacturing sectors, the technique helps in etching on various new metal alloys, polymers, etc. Due to so many advantages encompassed by this technique, the tool bits have been replaced by this technique. Since this is a very delicate job, great extent of precision is required which comes easily through this technique.
In the art field, laser technology is used to create personalized jewellery and also assists jewelers to engrave things like batch no, bar codes, certain specific markings, etc. This was not possible with metal tips. Since intricate patterns are needed in jewellery making, this technique is the best possible option.
For further Laser Marking and Laser Engraving please visit the website.


Laser Engraving: Technological innovation!

A technique of marking various products is referred to as laser marking and it is carried out by using laser source of radiant energy. This is also known as surfacing and it incorporates printing, bonding using lasers, etc. It is usually done when due to any kind of marking technique; the spoilage of any surface is undesirable. It has fast replaced many other traditional processes which were used in industries in a short time.
Permanent marks can be made in this kind of marking process on a wide variety and range of materials that are using laser beams as an alternative. In late 90s laser bonding as a process was patented and now it is finding such a widespread usage in various companies.
For example in the form of intricate logos of the company metal products, permanent marks can be made which manufactures them. Besides these many identification marks like serial number, time even bar coding, batch number etc are done with the help of lasers.
A more traditional heat firing method was used for other kind of material before and that used to spoil the material surface due to the fact that it was used on materials like plastic, rubber etc. These reacted very quickly to raised temperature, but with advancements in technology such complex surfaces also can be marked. This can be done in whatever manner the manufacturer wants as no changes to their basic structure are brought about by lasers and also it can be done in a very precise and intricate manner.
The process uses some specific types of Lasers in this kind of a process. Some of them are-
• Carbon Dioxide Laser
• Nd:YAG Laser
• Fiber laser
• Diode-pumped solid-state laser etc.
Since, the laser beam can be designed in such a way so as to deliver energy to the surface, a laser can remove material in an effective manner thereby converting which converts a high percentage of the light energy into heat. In most non-reflective materials, the beam is highly focused and collimated. These materials can be plastics, enamel and wood. However, the equipment used in Laser engraving may heat up rather quickly due to this efficiency. For laser, elaborate cooling systems are required. Alternatively, to decrease the amount of excessive heating, the laser beam may be pulsed.
The laser materials that are used so widely are not only very durable but also there is no major change to the actual material of the product. Abrasions are avoided. Care should be taken while marking so as to avoid any complexity. Techniques such as diamond tipped tool bits, sandblasting, etc have now been replaced and instead laser beams are widely used so as to carry out engraving job more precisely.
For further Laser Marking and Laser Engraving and Laser Etching please visit the website.