Laser engraving and marking
We are specialists in laser marking and engraving and offer the best solutions and marker machines
Laser marking and engraving is a technique used in different industries to mark or engrave codes, texts, or images on different parts and materials. This provides traceability for the marked parts throughout their entire life cycle, since this is a method that uses a high-intensity laser that burns or changes the appearance of the surface of the material.
COUTH is a company specialised in laser marking and engraving. We have extensive experience in the sector all around the world, with our innovative products developed with advanced technology and designs adapted to different industrial needs to guarantee efficient results of the highest quality.
Laser marking provides high marking speed, high performance, and duration over time, which is synonymous with the best industrial traceability results. Designed and manufactured with high quality components, it can be easily integrated into any industrial setting for laser marking on metal, as well as a wide variety of ceramic and plastic materials.
LASER MARKING
Characteristics of laser marking and engraving
The laser marking and engraving process has some important characteristics that we highlight below:
1. Contact-free
This method does not require contact, which means that there is no physical contact between the laser marking equipment and the material being worked on. This is a relevant aspect that avoids all kinds of damage and deformation on the material’s surface.
2. Precision and personalisation
Industrial laser marking and engraving is an automated process that provides precise, detailed results of the highest quality, even for small or intricate designs. This makes it a great technique for the medical and jewellery industries, and more, since one can personalise the information and create unique designs.
3. Durability
Marks made with laser are permanent and resistant to wear, which guarantees that they will not be erased, fade, or deteriorate over time. This makes them perfect for applications that require high durability, such as product identification or traceability in industry.
4. Versatility
Industrial laser marking and engraving can be done on a wide variety of materials, such as metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, stone, and even food, making it an excellent alternative for different industries.
5. Efficiency
The laser marking and engraving process is fast and efficient, which provides high productivity in manufacturing processes. Lasers can mark in just a few seconds, which helps to reach high productivity and greater efficiency in manufacturing processes.
6. Flexibility
The laser can make marks on different shapes and sizes, providing greater flexibility in product design and personalisation.
7. Traceability and security
Laser marking is a useful tool for product traceability, since it can mark bar codes, QR codes, and other unique identifiers on materials, facilitating product identification and tracking, as well as preventing possible falsification.
8. Diverse applications
Industrial laser marking and engraving is used in a wide variety of applications, such as product identification, traceability in industry, marking tools, and engraving plates with characteristics.
With all the aforementioned, you can understand that industrial laser marking and engraving is an efficient and versatile process that provides highly precise, long-lasting results. It can be used on a wide variety of parts and components made of different materials and can adapt to different needs, guaranteeing the highest-quality and longest-lasting results.
Laser marking benefits
Using our laser marking and industrial lines can guarantee the following beneficial aspects for your company:
- Silent marking, completed in a short cycle of time and with a high degree of legibility.
- Industrial laser marking and engraving does not require resources like stickers and ink, which makes it a more ecological and environmentally sustainable option.
- It is a very flexible method that can adapt even to more complicated engraving, marking at different heights, with irregular geometric shapes, on cylindrical surfaces, and marking with no need to stop the production chain. You can do all of this with COUTH LASER’S laser marking line.
- There is a higher return on investment from the COUTH LASER line, since it barely requires basic maintenance.
- The result of laser marking is fine, permanent, excellent quality engraving, which means it is the most suitable to be read by artificial vision systems and, as such, is fundamental to all industrial traceability systems.
- These devices are very easy to operate and to learn to use.
- They provide great flexibility in use, since they can adapt to the most complex marks, with different heights, irregular geometric shapes, and cylindrical surfaces, and provide a high-quality and permanent mark without stopping the production chain.
Laser marking applications
The laser marking technique with fibre can be used on different materials, mainly metals and certain plastics, including steel, aluminium, copper, iron, brass, and Zamak.
COUTH LASER line is designed to meet a wide range of laser marking needs in industries as demanding as the aeronautics and the automobile sectors.
Marks made using this technology, which include alphanumeric, DataMatrix codes, QR codes, and more, allow easy individual identification of all types of parts and components and their subsequent traceability throughout their entire life cycle.
Having said this, industrial laser marking and engraving has a wide range of applications in different industries. These common applications include:
1. Product personalisation
Laser marking and engraving is used to personalise parts and products with names, logotypes, dates, and other specific information from the client in different industries, depending on their needs.
2. Identification and traceability
Laser marking is used to mark bar codes, QR codes, serial numbers, and other unique identifies on products to facilitate their tracking chain and traceability on the supply chain.
3. Intellectual property protection
Laser marking and engraving is used to mark products with authenticity marks or security marks to protect against falsification and duplication.
4. Automobile industry
Laser marking is used to mark automobile parts and components with identification information, serial numbers, and date codes to track and guarantee quality.
5. Electronics industry
This technique is used to mark printed circuits, electronic components, and devices, with identification information, date codes, and company logotypes.
6. Medical industry
Laser marking is also used to mark medical instruments, implants, and devices, with identification information, batch codes, and company logotypes.
7. Aerospace industry
It is used to mark aerospace parts and components with identification information, serial numbers, and date codes to track and guarantee quality.
8. Jewellery industry
Laser marking and engraving is widely used to mark jewels with logotypes, names, and personalised designs.
9. Packaging industry
Laser marking is used to mark bar codes, expiry dates, and tracking information on containers and labels.
10. Construction industry
Laser marking is used to mark construction materials like wood, glass, or stone with identification information and decorative designs.
It should be noted that these are just a few of the many applications of industrial laser marking and engraving. Thanks to the versatility and precision of this technology, it has become a widely used resource in different industries for a variety of purposes.
How laser marking is done
Application of laser marking and engraving on different surfaces can vary a bit, depending on the equipment and specifications, as well as the type of material.
The general procedure is based on the following steps:
1) Prepare the equipment
The first thing you must do is conduct the checklist to guarantee that the laser equipment is in optimum operational condition, verifying that all settings are properly configured. You must also verify that the equipment’s control software is installed and updated.
2) Prepare the material
You must clean the material’s surface to remove all leftover dirt or other contaminants that could affect the laser mark’s result. You must also verify that the material is properly held in the device.
3) Mark design
With the aid of specific laser design software, you can create or import the design you want to mark on the material surface. You will need to adjust the size, position, and other parameters.
4) Laser settings
At this point, you must adjust laser parameters, such as marking speed and beam intensity and frequency, depending on the material type and desired depth.
5) Focus configuration
In regard to this point, you must adjust the distance between the laser head and the material’s surface to guarantee the necessary precision in the focus. Laser equipment offers a series of tools and aids that you can use to obtain a perfect focus.
6) Start the laser mark
Now with all necessary aspects properly configured, you can begin the laser marking process, using the command through the software control.
After this, the high-energy beam of light emits, marking on the material’s surface based on the previously established settings and design.
7) Verification and finish
When you finish the laser marking and engraving design on the material, you must verify that the result is the one you want in terms of quality, depth, and precision.
It should be noted that, if necessary, you can make adjustments until you obtain the desired result. Once you are happy with the result, remove the marked part from the device, following safety instructions.
Your Laser marking, with COUTH®
COUTH® has extensive experience beginning in 1956. Since then, we have striven every day to offer the best marking solutions to different industries.
Ever faithful to our spirit, our laser marking machines were designed under the most demanding criteria to provide a suitable response to all kinds of laser marking needs, using advanced technology to guarantee the best and most efficient results.
Are you looking for different laser marking and engraving alternatives on the market? Don’t wait any longer and contact our team of professionals. They can advise you on any questions you may have about marking technology. We guarantee you will pick the right solution for your marking needs.
The COUTH LASER engraving line marks a difference
Our values, our way of doing things, our company concept and our understanding of laser technology and its applications as specialists on this market make COUTH LASER’S marking laser line a product that meets the highest quality standards.
All this is synonymous with the best results in industrial traceability.
Laser marking and engraving FAQs
COUTH wants to help you to get all the information you need before purchasing our laser marking and engraving devices. As such, here are FAQs about this marking method.
1. What is laser marking?
This is a technique or procedure used to mark and label different materials or products with a laser beam. The laser beam takes light action on the surface of the material, removing a small fraction of it and leaving a permanent mark.
2. What is a laser marker machine?
This is a device that uses fibre laser technology for the permanent mark or engraving on the surface of different materials.
These devices have a system that uses mirrors, which make it possible to guide the laser with the utmost precision over the surface to mark.
3. Which materials can you laser mark?
Laser marking and engraving can be applied to different materials in different industries, used in sectors such as automobile, aeronautics, iron and steel, jewellery, food, etc., for different applications like item customisation and more.
These materials include:
- Metals such as aluminium, brass, gold, silver, platinum, titanium, stainless steel, bronze, copper, and more.
- Plastics, such as plastics with additives for laser, polycarbonate, ABS, PVC, polyamide, PMMA.
- Glass.
4. Are there different laser marking techniques? What are they?
Yes, there are different types of laser marking techniques. They depend on the material and the type of finish you seek to obtain, as well as the device’s power.
The most well-known laser marking techniques are:
- Annealing:
- This technique is an exclusive kind of laser mark for the metal market. It consists of taking advantage of the oxidation process caused by the laser underneath the surface of the material you are working on, changing the colour instead of going black with the heat created by the laser beam.
- The colour you obtain depends on the kind of metal and power level you use.
- Laser engraving:
- This procedure melts the surface of the material you are working on. It evaporates with the laser, thus producing a permanent engraving in the depression made.
- Elimination:
- This laser marking technique eliminates the top layers of the material you are working on, which creates a contrast with different colour tones between the bottom and top layers. This can be applied to materials like painted metals, anodised aluminium, films, and laminates.
- Decolouring:
- Decolouring is a procedure based on a chemical reaction with the material you are working on, as a result of the heat generated by the laser. This creates changes in the colour tones depending on the material.
- Foaming:
- With this procedure, the material is melted by the laser beam, which causes bubbles of gas on the surface that reflect the light. It is usually used with dark plastics.
5. What power levels do laser marking machines have?
Laser marking machines provide a wide power range:
- 20W
- 30W
- 50W
- 60W
- 100W
- 200W
Depending on the material and the work you are doing, you can select the right power.
6. Can laser marking and engraving damage the material?
The material used for a laser marking and engraving process is called substrate. It should be noted that it does not suffer damage with this kind of procedure.
What you should remember is that laser marking can slightly alter the surface of the substrate, leaving a permanent mark, with no need to apply adhesives, dyes, or any other related method.
7. How do you maintain laser marking machines?
Laser marking machines do not require complex maintenance. This is one of their advantages, since it leads to significant cost savings on expenses related to this kind of equipment.
Additionally, COUTH laser marking and engraving devices are high quality and one of their main features is high performance, with great resistance and a long life cycle.
Maintenance is based on protecting the devices’ optics, which must be revised before, during, and after laser marking. To this end, you need to adequately protect and clean the lenses with optical solvents when not in use, following basic recommendations.
8. Does COUTH or third parties manufacture the devices that COUTH sells?
COUTH is a manufacturer. We provide different laser solutions based on our experience, including our industrial manufacturing structure, so we can guarantee quality for the entire process.
Thanks to the knowledge we have acquired over our years in the sector, we can offer the best laser marking and engraving solutions to apply them to different industrial settings.
9. What do you mean when you say you offer customised solutions?
COUTH designs laser marking and engraving solutions, as well as other techniques like scribe and dot-peen. We develop specific techniques to cover all marking needs for the new industry 4.0 in settings where we use advanced technology like artificial intelligence, robotics, connectivity, and data analysis.
We offer efficient solutions for independent workstations, as well as solutions that require integration processes on production lines with more complex communication needs with our COUTH LASER line devices.
To this end, we can guarantee that we develop laser solutions that are capable of adapting to new and varied projects.
COUTH conducts an exhaustive diagnosis of the characteristics and specific marking needs of each one of our clients to design a project tailored to their technical requirements.
This way, we can guarantee personalised laser marking and engraving solutions that are both suitable and efficient, also making them competitive and productive.
Get the best efficacy in laser marking with COUTH LASER’S devices. Don’t wait any longer and contact us so we can give you all the guidance you need and offer you the best solutions for your company.