Laser marking today can require the finest detail on a variety of materials, from the marking of precious metals to a varied range of plastics
Many people are looking to take advantage of the latest technology to achieve the highest quality in the most cost effective manner, and laser marking is quickly becoming the principle technology to offer a flexible solution.
Different laser techniques can be used at various wavelengths, with Nd:YAG at 1064nm (Red YAG Laser) being the most frequently used.
Of the varieties of lasers available today, many are based on solid state technology.
The rare earth element, neodymium (Nd), displaces a small percentage of the atoms in a suitable host crystal, such as, YAG or vanadate (YVO4).
This doped laser medium is then optically excited by lamps or diodes to emit light with a wavelength at 1064nm.
Coherent characteristics distinguish laser light from other sources and such a beam can be focused to a tiny spot and manipulated by a variety of mechanical/optical techniques and then used to process materials.
Introducing a special operating mode, Q-switching, increases the working flexibility enormously.
Q-switching is used as a method of a generating a pulsed output.
Briefly halting the laser process means energy is effectively built up in the laser medium and then released in a short, powerful pulse, before this process is repeated.
Diode excitation, side or end pumped, produces a higher overall efficiency due to the good spectral match between the diode emission and the YAG absorption band.
This match results in a lower thermal load on the crystal, leading to better beam quality, while enabling an increase in output power and pulse frequency.
Rofin Baasel, the world's foremost industrial laser manufacturer, has utilised a state-of-the-art laser source with end pumped technology to provide an efficient, air-cooled, bench top solution, suitable for operation from a standard single phase 13A supply.
The Easymark is a compact, operator friendly laser marker offering a laser class 1 solution.
The Nd:YVO4 (Vanadate) source, provides a very high quality beam with high peak power that is extremely well suited to the demands of engraving.
Combining this high power and beam quality with exceptional pulse stability means the marking of virtually any material is possible.
The Rofin Easymark offers a low-maintenance solution, with a generous, easily accessible work area, which can be complemented by a programmable Z-axis and rotary axis to provide ultimate flexibility for the marking process.
Since its foundation in 1975, Rofin has grown to become one of the worlds largest laser manufacturers, specialising in lasers for material processing.
Their extraordinary product breadth encompasses both YAG and CO2 laser with galvo or fibre optic delivery systems, utilising standard or custom designed enclosures and product handling systems.
