Digital marking and coding has many benefits for manufacturers looking to optimize their operations, and keep pace with global regulations, national laws and industry guidelines. Many organizations adopt digitally controlled laser coding and marking systems because they deliver high-quality and durable marks to support traceability and consumer safety. Durable marks on a variety of materials and surfaces require the optimized performance that only laser marking and coding systems can deliver. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of a digitally controlled laser coding and marking system, the key components of this type of system, and how to choose the right laser marking system for your business’ needs.
What Is Coding And Marking?
Laser coding and marking are processes used to imprint important information onto products, parts and packaging using a laser. There are slight differences between the two processes:
Laser coding – this technique uses a laser to mark an item with a specific code so it can be easily identified or tracked
Laser marking – this technique is used to make other types of marks on products aside from codes, such as serial numbers to support identification or graphical logos for branding
The types of marks and codes created via these means include:
Barcodes
UPC
Serial numbers
Part numbers/codes
Batch codes
Expiration dates
Best before dates
Types Of Laser Marking Processes
There are different laser processes available to create markings with high visibility, contrast and quality on a variety of materials. These processes must ensure that markings can withstand harsh environments and long-term handling. Laser marking processes must also ensure that the material can be marked at production rates, while maintaining the structural integrity of the marked material.Key marking processes include:
Engraving – material is removed from the surface of the substrate, leaving a visible depression
Surface layer laser ablation– surface layers absorb the laser light, and the material heats up and vaporizes. The remaining base layer is in high contrast to the surface layer, making highly visible marks
Annealing – an oxide layer is created on ferrous metals (iron, steel, high-grade steel) and titanium through localized heating from the laser. The oxide layer is often black, but it can also have other annealing colors, such as yellow, red and green, created from different temperatures of the heated layers
Foaming – heat from the laser generates bubbles in the base material. The bubbles evaporate, leaving a surface change in both color and texture
Benefits Of A Digitally Controlled Laser Coding And Marking System
Manufacturers rely on laser systems that can keep up with change, particularly in marking and coding applications, as the packaging industry is constantly evolving. Aside from its high performance, a digitally controlled laser marking and coding system also has the following benefits:
1. Performance
A laser coding and marking system produces high-contrast, readily legible markings in various fonts and sizes, as well as permanent, long-lasting marks that hold up well to handling and harsh environments.
2. Precision and Control
Scanning motors with high repeatability enable accuracy to achieve superior mark quality, providing a high level of digital precision and control. Coupling these with a high-performance CO2 laser increases throughput speeds, resulting in higher yields and added versatility.
3. Navigate Curved Surfaces
3D laser marking heads and software can navigate curved surfaces, enabling marking on target surfaces of complex-shaped parts in a fast and durable manner.
4. Flexibility
A laser coding and marking system can apply marks to a variety of materials and surface qualities, with the ability to change patterns and parameters on-the-fly.
5. A Non-Contact Solution
When using a marking and coding system, only the laser beam comes into contact with the target material. This is advantageous when marking or coding delicate materials, or materials that need to remain sterile.
6. Ease of Use
A digitally controlled coding and marking system is easy to operate, requiring minimal onboarding and training. What’s more, most systems do not require formal certification for operation. Users can store laser settings associated with specific materials and design files as a baseline for future projects, making them easy to access, and minimizing change-over time.
7. Uninterrupted Production
There’s little to no maintenance required with this type of system; as there’s minimal machine downtime, this can significantly improve factory productivity. With laser marking, there are no clogged nozzles, ink to refill or other routine cleaning tasks that result in downtime when using traditional ink jet machines.
8. Cost of Ownership
The total cost of ownership of a laser coding and marking system is lower compared to other methods. This is due to factors including:
Low operational training requirements
High reliability
Elimination of consumables, such as ink
Shorter downtimes associated with change-overs and maintenance
Increased flexibility, offering new business opportunities
Coding and Marking System Applications
Industries and applications that can benefit from a digitally controlled laser marking and coding system include:
Manufacturing – to add graphics and/or alpha numeric codes, barcodes and QR codes to raw materials, finished goods or packaging
Electronics – can be used to add crisp alpha numeric codes, labels, barcodes, QR codes and 2D codes to electronic components and modules
医療 – for marking expiration dates on medication packaging
Engineering – used by the automotive and aerospace industries to mark part numbers and codes on components
Glass marking – to apply permanent graphics and/or certification marks and codes that can be easily adapted in line with regulatory changes
Food and beverage – for marking expiration and best before dates on products
High-speed marking and coding – laser marking and coding are very adaptable to high-speed processing lines and batch processing systems
Late-stage marking and coding – apply marks and codes to finished goods on flat or complex surfaces
Key Components of a Coding And Marking System
Manufacturers offer laser markers with a variety of wavelengths to achieve the desired processing effect on the material being marked. Each of these materials has a characteristic absorption spectrum, meaning there are certain wavelengths of light a given material will absorb more readily than others. Material that has better absorption can be processed more quickly and effectively. As wavelength is one of the defining characteristics of a laser, system designers must pair the appropriate type of laser with the material they are looking to process for the best quality results and the fastest throughput. CO2 lasers have longer wavelengths, which pair nicely with plastics, natural materials like paper, and certain metal foils – some of the most popular materials in the packaging industry. The key components of a digitally controlled laser coding and marking system are:
High-performance lasers – the lasers in a marking and coding system need to be able to withstand real-world industrial environments
Galvanometer scanner – the heart of a marking engine, which moves a set of mirrors assigned to the X and Y-axis generated vectors
X and Y-axis generated vectors – these guide the laser beam onto the material for processing
Servo driver boards – high-bandwidth boards enable the high accuracy and throughput of the galvanometers
Controller board – this final part of the marking engine coordinates all components by generating the mark pattern and synchronizing the mirror motion with laser activation and modulation
User-friendly software – this complements the controller to allow for the quick creation of job patterns from imported 2D and 3D drawings
Beam steering technology that matches the laser – vital to prevent damage and minimize power loss
Cambridge Technology’s Beam Delivery Solution for Marking and Coding
Cambridge Technology’s Pro Series and LightningTM II 2-axis scan heads feature 83xxK series galvos, analog and digital servo drivers, plus beryllium substrate mirrors to achieve the most competitive combination of stability and speed. These core components are available as individual parts for flexible integration options. For general purpose marking, the 62xxH series galvos provide similar speed and can be paired with value-driven silicon mirror substrates and compact servo driver options like the 672. Cambridge Technology’s beam delivery solution for laser marking and coding offers benefits including:
Accuracy – high-stability galvanometers provide a unified solution to meet accuracy requirements for a broad range of applications with wavelengths and focal lengths
High throughput – a large range of galvo sizes are offered to drive specific apertures optimally using both standard silicon and high-performance beryllium substrates. Analog servo drivers are offered in both compact and high-drive designs tuned for high speed. With zero tracking delay, the DC Digital Servo with State Space control drives galvos with unmatched speeds in marking applications
Reliable – rugged galvo construction using high-quality bearings with tightly tolerance motor construction achieves highly repeatable results over 1000s of hours of use with no adjustments
Flexible – small and efficient galvos have flexible mirror mounting, connector and scan angle options. Servo Driver options include full featured, compact and dual-axis versions to best match with system integration needs
Novanta Laser Marking and Coding Solutions
As part of Novanta, Cambridge Technology and Synrad bring unprecedented value to customers as their single source for CO2 lasers and beam delivery. We bring broad knowledge across all applications, avoiding technical and integration pitfalls. Our wide-ranging expertise and resources allow us to create custom solutions for challenging applications. By having one vendor for your beam delivery and laser needs, you can avoid cross-company and compatibility conflicts for faster, easier integration. We offer full support from concept through end user in-production operation, enabling system success.Digital laser coding and marking systems bring optimized performance due to their flexibility, ease of use and cost efficiency. Their advantages bring high-quality marks designed to pass the test of durability against harsh environments. Contact us to find out more about Novanta’s digital marking and coding solutions.
