What a Fiber Laser Marking Machine Can Do For You
In this article, we are going to introduction the technology of
Fiber Laser marking Machine, understand its scientific background, its applications, materials targeted and its challenges.
After reading this article, you should be able to discern how best to use this machine for your own applications.
Understanding Fiber Laser Marking
A fiber laser machine essentially has three main parts, including the pump, the resonator and the beam delivery system.
The pump comprises of laser diodes from which a light beam is emitted and transmitted through fiber optics to a resonator which contains what is known as the gain medium.
The resonator hosts the gain medium, which in simple terms is a fiber optics medium doped with rare earth elements.
The main differences between different fiber laser applications are based on the wavelengths produced, which determines the surfaces that each type can mark on.
Metal markers are mainly Ytterbium doped, giving them the wavelength that is needed for optimal absorptivity for material marking various metals and plastics.
The resonator combines the gain medium with a set of full and semi-reflecting bragg grating components, that allow for refraction, amplification and filtering light waves to get the right wavelength required for marking.
The filtered beam is then transmitted to the beam delivery system, which is simply a beam expander and a lens contained in a beam head. This is the ‘laser pen’ that does the marking
Flexibility is the main advantage of fiber laser marking, thereby making it the most preferred engraving and marking technique in the industry, due to its versatility in marking diverse materials.
The information marked can also be chosen freely, ranging from text, numbers, logos, codes, images and photos.
Color change is a common process used in Laser Marking.
The process provides high contrast labelling on any material without damaging its surface.
In this process, the laser heats the material at the precise intended areas, exciting atoms and vaporizing the required parts, thereby providing a high quality contrast color-change on the material.
Industrial Applications of Fiber Laser Marking Machine
Automotive industry
The automotive industry has become one of the largest users of this technology. It is estimated that a car is made of roughly 30,000 parts, which are either made up of steel, aluminum, copper, special fiber or plastic, all varying in shape and size.
The following are some of the applications where part marking is achieved using a fiber laser marker in the automotive industry;
Marking seat belt components with information such as country of origin, serial numbers and barcodes.
Marking various components and button on the dashboard. These need to be well visible during the day and illuminated at night. Therefore, day and night markings are used.
Other materials such as ceramics used to make spark plugs can also be marked using these method too.
You’ll also find Fiber Laser markings on engine blocks, automotive sensors, chassis VIN number and motorcycle parts.
One of the biggest concerns with markings in this industry is readability and traceability. Parts ought to be traced to their country of origins and markings be machine readable. It is for this reason Fiber Lasers have noted increased usage in the recent past.
Integrated Circuit Industry
Integrated circuit elements are the most important units used to build circuits and systems. This
Laser marking machine can be used to make markings on Integrated Circuits boards and semiconductor components, including text and graphics.
The Laser Cutting Machine and Process
Laser cutting is a non-contact, thermal-based fabrication process suitable for metal and non-metal materials. For the laser cutting process to run smoothly and at optimum capacity, several factors should be taken into consideration, such as the laser cutting machine’s configuration and settings, the material being cut and its properties, and the type of laser and assist gas employed.
Overview of Laser Machine Components and Mechanics
In contrast to mechanical cutting, which utilizes cutting tools and power-driven equipment, and waterjet cutting, which utilizes pressurized water and abrasive material, laser cutting employs a
laser cutting machine to produce cuts, engravings, and markings. While laser cutting machines vary from model to model and application to application, the typical setup includes a laser resonator assembly, mirrors, and a laser cutting head which contains a laser focusing lens, a pressurized gas assembly, and a nozzle.
Laser cutting of metal has been around for a couple of decades now, but there still appears to be some confusion of which laser is suitable for which application. Although metal can be successfully cut using plasma or water jet cutting machines, when it comes to accuracy and consistency it has to be a
fiber laser cutting machine.
Today’s manufacturing industry is majorly concentrating on precision and pace of manufacturing the component. It is the fact that different tool is required to perform different operations on the component, hence there is a time factor involved in changing the tool. This ultimately results in loss of time which incurs cost. To minimize this time, fiber laser metal cutting machines have been introduced in the metal manufacturing industry. Here, the machine doesn’t get in contact with the materials, which means there is no wear and tear of tool, where the cost of renewing tool is zero.
There is a huge market for laser machines in industrial activities as the manufacturers are realizing the advantages of switching to the laser technology. We at MORN promote fiber laser machines which reduce time and cost of manufacturing, which is advantageous to the manufacturer as well as the buyer.
The benefits of a fiber laser cutting system include:
There are no moving parts or mirrors in the light generating source. This reduces the maintenance requirements and operating costs.
The electrical efficiency is high which results in lower running cost.
The speed of cutting thin materials is high.
It has the ability to cut reflective materials and there is no problem of back reflection.
Introduction
Laser welding machines and laser welding technology is becoming very popular with the advent of the latest laser generation technologies. In short, laser welding is the process of joining metallic bodies or thermoplastics using a laser beam.However, unlike the other conventional welding processes, laser welding can complete the job in much lesser time.
Categorization of Laser Welders
There are multiple modes of laser welding that we can categorize the
machines into. Therefore, we can categorize laser welding technology in various ways. Let’s start defining the laser welding machines by the different categories:
Categorization is based on the type of laser
Pulsed Laser
The pulsed laser mechanism is ideal for metals that are light in nature and have low thickness. Thus, the pulsed laser makes intermittent exposure on the metallic body. Keeping it safe from burning or melting.
Furthermore, this type of laser welding is ideal for welding sheets of metal, razors, jewelry, and even medical prosthetics like screws.
The continuous laser
The continuous laser is ideal for welding on parts that have a high thickness and are strong. Moreover, this welding technology is good for refractory surface metals too.
This type of welding is costlier than the pulsed type welding but in the long run, saves a lot of money and labor for you.
Categorization based on the source of laser
Currently, there are three main types of sources of laser for laser welding machines that use one of these laser sources i.e. Fiber laser, CO2 laser, and Nd: YAG laser. Each of these laser sources has their own benefits and are suitable for the different types of welding materials.
Fiber Laser Welding Machine
The fiber laser welding machine is ideal for working on metallic parts. Furthermore, it offers great reliability and efficiency. According to estimates, the accuracy of the
laser welding machine using fiber laser is close to 25%.
CO2 Laser Welders
The CO2 laser welders can provide a great continuous welding beam that creates efficient and durable welds. It can easily penetrate metals and non-metallic bodies.
Nd: YAG Laser welders
The Nd: YAG lasers are less energy efficient as compare to the fiber laser welding machines. However, there are certain applications like greater laser control that you cannot achieve with other types of laser sources.
Summing up, you will get laser welders of all types, technologies, and sources. You will have to decide which type of laser welder will suit your business the best.
Before discussing the selection of the best laser welders, let’s have a look at the main applications of laser welding machines in the industry.
How to Choose the Right Laser Cleaning Machine?
Introduction
Laser cleaning machine is finding great applications in the industry today. It is often seen that rust, grease, and other such substrates form a layer with time over metals and non-metallic products. And with increasing time the laser rust cleaning and metallic parts cleaning technologies have evolved.
What is Laser Cleaning Machine?
Before moving on with other specifications of rust-removing laser machines, first, let’s discover a little about the technology and how it works. Rust laser cleaning or simply laser cleaning is a very safe way to remove rut and other substrates from the affected material. All of it without damaging or having to scrape your original material.
The laser rust cleaners work in the same way as the laser etching machines work. Meaning that the laser applies focused energy on a part of the material that is to be cleaned.
Thus, removing a very fine layer of the surface and exposing the clean material inside. Laser cleaning rust machines are very popular now in industries. Let’s have a look at the major applications of the laser cleaning system and major industries that use the technique.