Laser Marking for Product Traceability and Identification

Understanding Marcaje Laser

Marcaje laser, also known as laser marking, refers to the process of using lasers to permanently mark or label a workpiece. It is an extremely versatile, non-contact marking solution used across a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics, and more. The technology involves focusing a laser beam onto the surface of a workpiece which creates a permanent, high-contrast mark without generating heat or wear. There are several types of laser marking techniques, each with their own advantages depending on the application and materials being marked.

How Laser Marking Works

During laser marking, a focused laser beam is directed onto the surface of the workpiece using scanning mirrors or galvo systems. The heat from the laser beam interacts with the material, causing rapid heating, melting, vaporization, chemical changes, and even white marking depending on the process. This creates a permanent light or dark mark, depending on the material and marking method used.

Common techniques for laser marking include:

• Laser Engraving: Vaporizes material to expose a cavity and create a sunken mark.
• Laser Etching/Ablation: Locally removes a thin layer of material to create a contrasting mark.
• Carbonization: Burns the surface to produce a dark mark without cutting into the material.
• Foaming: Creates bubble-like voids in the material that diffuse light.
• Colour Change: Alters the colour or oxidation state of a material to create a visible mark.
• Photobleaching: Removes colour pigments from materials to create a lighter mark.

The laser's wavelength, pulse duration and peak power can be optimized for the specific application and material being marked. For example, short pulse durations are best for metals, while longer pulses work better on plastics. Wavelengths are also chosen based on material absorption characteristics.

Benefits of Laser Marking

There are many benefits that make laser marking a popular industrial marking solution:

• Permanent and indelible - Laser marks cannot wear off or fade over time.
• High resolution - Lasers can create extremely fine marks down to just a few microns.
• Versatile - Lasers can effectively mark almost any material including metals, plastics, glass, ceramics, wood, silicon and more.
• Non-contact - No mechanical stress or unwanted heat transfer effects on the workpiece.
• Precision - State-of-the-art galvo scanners steer lasers with incredible speed and accuracy.
• Automatable - Laser markers can be easily integrated into automated manufacturing and packaging lines.
• Clean - Laser marking is a non-chemical process with no solvents, inks or consumables.
• Cost-effective - Lasers provide durable marks without expensive tooling or mold changes.
• Eco-friendly - Laser marking has a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional chemical or mechanical marking.

Laser Marking Applications

Laser marking technology is incredibly flexible making it suitable for a diverse range of marking, engraving and etching applications across many industries including:

• Aerospace - Marking parts with serial numbers, product codes and logos for traceability.
• Automotive - Marking vehicle ID numbers on windows and cast engine components.
• Electronics - Laser etching of semiconductor wafers and etching printed circuit boards.
• Medical - Marking implants, surgical tools and medical devices.
• Defense - Military marking of metal components for identification and traceability.
• Jewelry - Micro engraving personalized designs and logos on jewelry.
• Packaging - High-speed marking of codes, text and graphics onto labels, cartons and packaging.

Lasers are also widely used for rapid prototyping, commercial etching services, security marking, as well as thousands of other niche applications across many industries.

Marcaje Laser for Product Identification and Traceability

One of the most common applications of laser marking technology is for product identification and traceability. Lasers can quickly and precisely mark serial numbers, 1D and 2D data matrix codes, logos, text and other product information onto individual parts, assemblies and final products.

Product traceability has become extremely important across medical, aerospace, automotive and other critical industries. Customers, regulatory bodies and manufacturers themselves require parts to be uniquely identified and tracked throughout the complete product lifecycle. This enables tracking of product quality while also making it easy to handle safety recalls if required.

Some key benefits of using laser marking for traceability include:

• Permanent marks that will not wear off under extreme environmental conditions.
• Ability to mark very fine marks on small components.
• Very high throughput marking suitable for automated production lines.
• Marks complex machine readable codes like Data Matrix ECC 200.
• Flexibility to mark different codes on each component as required.
• Can mark codes in recessed areas or directly onto curved surfaces.
• Instantly changeable numbering sequences without slowing production.

Laser marking for traceability provides manufacturers the flexibility to uniquely identify any component while integrating seamlessly into modern, automated production and assembly processes. The non-contact nature of lasers also prevents any distortion or damage to precision components that could affect functionality or quality.

Common Traceability Codes Marked by Lasers

There are numerous coding formats that can be marked onto products using laser markers. Some of the most common traceability codes include:

• Serial numbers - Unique product IDs in numeric or alphanumeric formats.
• 1D barcodes - Code 128, Code 39, EAN, UPC.
• 2D codes - Data Matrix, QR Codes for storing larger data.
• Logos & Text - Branding text, logos, warnings.
• Date & Time stamps - For shelf life tracking.

Lasers are capable of marking all standard machine-readable codes like barcodes and Data Matrix symbols. The codes remain fully scannable and compliant to industry standards after laser marking.

Laser markers are controlled using software which makes it simple to dynamically change the marked data. Variables like serial numbers can be auto-incremented, time stamps added or custom data fields populated as required. This makes laser marking highly suitable for automated production line integration.

Laser Marking Materials for Traceability

Lasers can effectively mark traceability codes onto almost any material, including:

• Stainless steel
• Aluminum
• Titanium
• Precious metals like gold and silver
• Most engineering plastics like ABS, polyamide, PEEK
• Rubber and silicone
• Painted/coated metals
• Wood, leather, fabrics
• PCB circuit boards
• Silicon wafers
• Ceramics and stone
• Glass

Choosing the right laser depends on its wavelength and how well it is absorbed by the target material. Infrared fiber and CO2 lasers are most common, but visible wavelength fiber lasers can mark high contrast codes onto many plastics and printed circuit boards.

Laser Marking for Medical Device Traceability

Laser marking is widely used in the medical device manufacturing industry. Medical devices like surgical tools, implants and instruments must be permanently and clearly marked for identification and traceability purposes.

Regulatory bodies like the FDA have mandated that medical device manufacturers implement traceability systems. This is to ensure patient safety in the event that a defective product needs to be identified or recalled. Requirements include marking devices with a Unique Device Identifier (UDI) comprised of an ID string and machine readable codes.

Laser marking provides an ideal traceability solution for medical devices because it:

• Produces permanent marks unaffected by sterilization.
• Achieves fine mark resolution without contacting the device.
• Works on curved and uneven surfaces.
• Has high marking speeds for automated production.
• Avoids distortion or damage to precision parts.

Fiber laser markers operating at infrared wavelengths are typically used to engrave and etch marks onto stainless steel and titanium medical components. CO2 lasers are also popular for marking plastics used in medical devices and disposable surgical components.

Data Matrix codes are well suited for medical parts with limited space for coding. The 2D matrix codes can encode large amounts of manufacturing and patient data in a very small footprint. Laser marked Data Matrix symbols remain machine readable even when marked at a fraction of a millimeter for micro-components.

Overall, laser marking enables medical device manufacturers to meet increasing demands for product traceability in a way that integrates smoothly into modern, highly automated manufacturing processes.

Laser Marking for Automotive Industry Traceability

The automotive manufacturing industry relies heavily on laser marking for traceability and branding of vehicles and components. Permanent laser etched marks provide a lifetime product record that enables tracking of individual parts back to the production line and batch.

Some common automotive laser marking applications include:

• Marking Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) on windows and chassis.
• Engine component marking including turbines and cast parts.
• Marking transmission and powertrain components.
• Traceability marking of electronics like ECUs and sensors.
• Brand logos on trim panels and interiors.

Car VIN numbers are etched directly onto vehicle glazing using specialty infrared solid-state lasers. This eliminates the need for adhesive metal VIN plates. Laser marking the glass provides a permanent mark while improving vehicle aesthetics.

Inside the vehicle, lasers permanently etch warning labels, operating manuals and branding onto metal and plastic surfaces. Logos and graphics can also be engraved onto leather trim and seating.

Moving to components, lasers mark traceability codes like serial numbers, Data Matrix codes and 1D barcodes onto metal engine and transmission casings. This provides each major component with a unique ID that enables tracking throughout the supply chain. Plastics like ABS, used in fuse boxes and interior components, are also readily laser marked for identification purposes.

Laser marking enables automakers to integrate traceability marking into highly automated production lines. Auto-incrementing serial numbers, time stamps, custom codes and barcodes keep each product uniquely identified without slowing the manufacturing throughput.

Laser Marking Systems for Traceability

Implementing a laser marking system for traceability requires the following key elements:

• Laser marker - CO2, fiber, diode, or UV lasers.
• Scanner system - Galvo, polygon, linear/rotary stages.
• Software to control marking patterns and data.
• Work handling system - Rotary indexer, conveyors, robots.
• Fume extraction - For metal marking applications.
• Integration with production network.

Fiber and CO2 lasers with galvo scanning heads offer the greatest speed and marking versatility for high-volume production line integration. The laser marker is specified based on the material, marking method, speed and mark size/density requirements.

The marking software provides the critical link between the product database and production. It controls the laser patterns and automatically inserts data like serial numbers into the codes.

The workpiece handling method depends on the production flow. Robotic integration is ideal for flexible manufacturing cells, while conveyors and rotary indexers allow inline integration on transfer lines.

Overall, laser marking technology provides manufacturers with a fast, flexible and cost-effective solution for automated product traceability across a diverse range of industries and materials.

FAQs

What materials can be laser marked?

Lasers can effectively mark metals, plastics, glass, wood, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors and many other materials. Most applications use infrared fiber or CO2 lasers tuned to the material being marked.

What types of codes can be laser marked?

Lasers can mark serial numbers, 1D/2D barcodes, logos, timestamps, Data Matrix codes and other alphanumeric codes for traceability. The codes remain machine-readable after marking.

How permanent is laser marking?

Laser marking is extremely permanent and durable. Marks cannot wear off or fade over time, even under extreme environmental conditions. This makes it ideal for lifelong product identification.

How small can laser marked codes be?

Using specialty lenses and galvo scanners, lasers can mark extremely fine codes down to just 10um for micro-components like circuit boards and medical devices.

How fast can lasers mark products?

Lasers can mark at extremely high speeds measured in meters per second. Galvo-based laser markers allow coding of products in a dynamic, on-the-fly process at production line speeds.