A fiber laser engraver uses the power of light to etch and mark materials. It works with a wide variety of materials and can create high-contrast, high-quality marks. This makes it a popular choice for marking and traceability applications like barcodes, QR codes and text. It also works well on a range of organic and soft products, including personalised items, switches, and even jewellery.
The laser uses a focused beam of light to heat the precise intended areas of a material, exciting its atoms and vaporizing them. This produces a permanent mark that can not be erased or removed by conventional means. Lasers offer a wide range of benefits over traditional marking methods, such as dot peening, where the stylus contacts the materials and inkjet markers, which use a solvent to apply chemicals to the surface. They are also non-contact, so they do not cause damage to the physical and mechanical properties of the materials. However, laser marking machines require specialist operation and expertise to maximise their potential and deliver high-quality marks. This increases operational costs and can impact the quality of results.
Fiber lasers are most suited to metals, and their 1,064nm wavelength generates the perfect reaction with these substances. They are also capable of operating on a wider variety of materials than other types of laser marking machines, such as UV or CO2 laser markers.
Both UV and CO2 lasers are suitable for a range of plastics, and can operate at lower powers that reduce the risk of burning or melting these types of materials. They can also be used on a number of other organic and soft products, including glass, paper, and wood. However, if you want to engrave on metals, then a fiber https://commarker.com/ is the best option as it emits less heat than other types of laser machines.
Fiber laser machines can be used to etch patterns into a wide variety of materials, from stone and glass to plastics and even metals. However, you should note that there are some limitations to the type of materials that can be engraved with a laser marker, and that each type of laser machine has its own optimal range of working temperatures.
Generally, it is not recommended to use a fiber laser marker on wood. The 1064nm laser wavelength can partially pass through wood, but when it encounters the differences in the wood structure, it will ignite it. This can lead to unsightly charring or fire-induced warping of the product.
Some materials, such as PVC acrylics, can also produce toxic fumes when lasered with a fiber laser. These fumes are a result of hydrochloric acid, which is released when the polymer is heated by a laser. Therefore, you should always use a trusted fume extraction system when using laser markers on these types of materials.