Benefits of Laser Marking Machines for Your Business - Keyence
Benefits of Laser Marking Machines for Your Business - Keyence
Laser marking can be a quicker and more efficient marking process than chemical etching and inkjet printing. Chemical etching requires many steps that can last days, and laser marking happens instantaneously. Inkjet printing/labeling has consumables and replacement parts that can slow down the process and often lead to downtime—laser marking technology does not.
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There are a myriad of reasons why businesses are moving towards using fewer consumables. Here are a few of them:
- Decrease environmental impact
- Consume fewer materials
- Reduce waste
- Lower PPE equipment budget
Whatever the reason may be, laser marking technologies are often a viable solution. Laser marking machines use light to directly mark products and do not need any other materials. Because of this, there is no extra maintenance, material, PPE, or toxic waste costs.
In addition to the physical mark withstanding outside conditions, the actual machine has enhanced durability and longevity.
KEYENCE's MD-X, MD-U, and MD-F laser marking machines meet the IP-64 resistance specification. This specification means that water splashing from any direction will have no harmful effect on the machine's use and there will be no ingress of dust, often referred to as dustproof and water resistant.
KEYENCE's MD-X, MD-U, MD-F, and MD-T laser marking machines all have built-in thermopile power monitors.
The thermopile power monitor is an aspect of the laser marking technology that acts as a predictive maintenance tool by measuring the output power of the laser to detect any drops in power over time.
The predictive maintenance will then give a warning about possible malfunctions so that you can proactively fix them before it affects manufacturing processes.
As of , the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all medical devices (besides Class I devices) to display a unique device identification (UDI). The UDI must be readable by machines and humans and contain identifiers like serial, batch number, expiration date, and manufacturing date. Since UDIs store a lot of information on a small device, many businesses choose to use 2D codes.
If you're in the medical sector, incorporating a laser marking system is a sure way to stay in compliance with traceability standards. KEYENCE's laser marking machines outperform alternatives like stamping, labeling, and chemical etching. Laser marking machines can mark the non-geometric shapes of medical devices and do not ever rub off for accidental contamination. These laser marking machines also mark the most common device material, stainless steel.
IPC- requires electronic devices to have traceability about product ID/label, documentation/record keeping, and data exchange/sharing. 2D codes by laser marking machines store over 1,000 characters for the amount of information. Additionally, laser marking machines can mark microscopically yet clearly on small electronic semiconductors. Since laser marking doesn't use force, these fragile materials can be marked without impacting the structural integrity of the part.
Shot blasting is known for creating a perfect finish while covering traceability marks, which is frustrating when you have to redo the mark.
Laser marking technology can mark the 2D codes to be shot blast resistant. By deep engraving the 2D code the depth of the mark will outlast any shot blasting and still be readable afterwards to keep traceability intact.
CO2 Laser vs Fiber Laser Marking Machine: Pros and Cons
What is better, Fiber Laser Marking Machines or CO2? This topic has been discussed in the manufacturing community for many years. Because laser purists insist that CO2 is the better technology, while others are pushing for new innovations in Fiber Laser Marking Machines that insist on the exact opposite. Who is right? Which technology is superior?
The answer lies in the fact that many manufacturers offer both fiber laser and CO2 technology in their mechanical product lines. This is because there are significant differences in technology and capabilities, as well as their performance in specific materials, thicknesses, and applications. It all comes down to what type of material you want to be cut.
In a previous article, we found that fiber laser cutters get more power to the cutting head from the resonator or power supply. This is done by not needing to reflect the beam off of a mirror and then refocus it through many lenses. The beam remains focused at the source. The advantages of CO2 lasers are their flexibility and material type.
How does a Fiber Laser Marking Machine work?
The fiber optic takes the light source from the laser cutting machine’s resonant cavity and transmits it to its CNC-controlled cutting head. The laser is focused through a series of lenses onto the material surface by the cutting head. It emits from the end the fiber optic cable.
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How does a CO2 laser work?
The CO2 resonator emits enough light to transmit it in a different manner than the fiber optic method. The beam passes through a reflection process, and is then refocused into the “beam pathway delivery system”. This is purified with an “inert gas” to ensure that the path is free from dust and debris that could interfere with the transmission of the laser. After the laser has been reflected onto the cutting heads, it is refocused to emit the beam in the same way as a fiber machine. This uses a series of lenses to refocus the beam and a high speed cutting gas shield to clean the path.10 Questions You Should to Know about Electronic Board Scrubbing Machine
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Fiber laser engraver technology is a monolithic, fiber to fiber, a compact solid-state configuration that cuts flat metal. This is the main advantage. Fiber laser has lower operating costs than comparable CO2 lasers. The characteristics of the fiber laser beam provide faster cutting speeds than the CO2. Fiber laser cutting systems are capable of cutting more than one inch using a higher power fiber laser and even faster when nitrogen was used as an auxiliary gas.
However, the best place to achieve the greatest advantage over CO2 systems is the 1/2-inch and below range. It is clear that fiber laser technology is the most efficient and cost-effective way to work with stainless steel, copper, aluminum, brass, or copper. If you are cutting wood, acrylic, or leather, this technology is also available. It is recommended that you use a CO2 laser.
The advantage of CO2 lasers is that they can work with a wide range of materials. They can use with organic materials (non-metals). Organic materials are things like wood, acrylic, plastic, rubber, leather, and anything like that. Fiber lasers are mainly used with metals.
However, CO2 lasers cannot use with a variety of metals. That’s because some metals are by nature highly reflective. By reflective nature, I mean that these metals are able to reflect (reflex) light/laser. It’s like pointing a flashlight at a mirror and the light will reflect back at you. Metals such as aluminum, copper, gold, brass, and silver are highly reflective. If the light is reflected back into a laser machine, it can damage it and CO2 laser cost thousands of dollars to fix! So make sure you triple check that the laser machine you buy can work with the material you need without causing any damage. CO2 laser machines have a laser beam that is easily reflected back by highly reflective metals. Fiber lasers have a much lower frequency laser beam.
(In fact, almost all metals are by nature reflective. It’s just that some metals are more reflective than others.)
The shorter wavelengths of fiber lasers may work well with a variety of metals, but not with organic/non-metallic materials. CO2 machines can also use on organic materials like wood and plastic. A fiber laser engraver can cause a fire if it does use on wood. If it is to use on plastic, it can melt it.
A CO2 laser can work with metal as long as it has enough power (watts). You need about 25-150 watts to engrave something like steel and about 300 watts to cut it. CO2 lasers also need to use oxygen as a carrier to cut these metals. Note that it takes less power (wattage) to engrave/mark material than it does to cut it.
I have listed a few materials that can be used in combination with fiber lasers and CO2. I strongly recommend that you double/triple check online and with the business you are buying from that the laser machine you are buying is compatible with the material you want to cut.
Materials CO2 laser cutters can use with.
- Wood
- Acrylic fiber
- Brick
- Fabric
- Delrin
- Cloth
- Leather
- Marble
- Matte board
- Melamine
- Paper
- Polyester film
- Pressboard
- Rubber
- Wood veneer
- Glass fiber
- Painted metal
- Tile
- Plastic
- Cork
- Corian
- Anodized aluminum
Material fiber lasers are available.
- Aluminum
- Tungsten
- Carbide
- Non-semiconductor ceramics
- Chrome alloys
- Painted metal
- Glass Fiber
- Carbon Fibers
- Nickel
- Plastic
- Polymers
- Rubber
- Silver
- Gold
- Stainless steel
Calculating the total cost of ownership
Typically, the overall cost of a CO2 laser is higher than that of a fiber laser over time. Here are some things to consider when calculating the total cost of a laser.
- Consumables: CO2 lasers require a gas (such as oxygen or nitrogen) to operate, whereas fiber lasers do not. (Fiber lasers can use gas for better cut quality).
- Power Consumption: Fiber laser cutters consume about three times as much energy as CO2 lasers. This basically means that the fiber laser uses 3 times less power to cut the same thing.
- Parts maintenance/cleaning: CO2 lasers have parts such as mirrors, turbines and water tanks that need to be cleaned and repaired. If not, they can break down and cost you money in repairs. Therefore, make sure you remember to pay attention to the needs of your laser machine. It can save you a lot of money in the long run.
- Repair: CO2 laser parts are more likely to fail than fiber laser parts. It is estimated that it takes about 50,000 to 100,000 hours for a fiber laser machine to fail, while CO2 takes about 20,000 hours. Fiber laser cutters are what you would call solid-state machines (almost all in one piece). This means that they have no moving parts. Therefore, the likelihood of failure or non-functional operation is much lower.
- Lifespan: Every machine will eventually break down …… Generally speaking, high-end CO2 laser machines last about 10-15 years. Fibers can last twice as long if not more than three times as long.
Remember to keep these points in mind when trying to calculate the cost of the type of laser machine you will choose. If you don’t cut materials often and need to cut non-metallic materials such as wood or acrylic, then a CO2 machine would be your best choice. If you need to cut a lot of metal, especially thin metal, then a fiber laser may be the best choice for you.
Another thing to remember that will work in your laser machine. That’s time. You know what they say, time is money. How fast your laser machine operates can make a huge difference in the value of your investment.
Cutting Speed – How fast is your laser cutting?
Fiber laser engraver are significantly faster than CO2 lasers in cutting thin sheets (< 8 mm), especially when cutting stainless steel. For 1 mm, fiber lasers can cut up to 6 times faster than CO 2 lasers. For 5 mm paper, the difference is reduced to about 2 times. The cutting speed of thin sheets can increase by 2-3 times by increasing the power of the laser source to 2kW. The CO2 laser can cut thin sheets at a faster rate than the fiber laser. This is possible for the same laser power. The speed advantage is smaller than for sheets that are thinner.Cutting quality – How smooth do you want your edges to be?
One of the advantages of CO2 lasers for cutting is that their cutting edge quality (sharpness/finer edges) is consistent across the entire thickness range of the material. This means that you don’t need to worry about your edges looking bad when cutting thin or thick material. The fiber laser becomes less efficient at making consistent cuts as the material becomes thicker.
Keep in mind that fiber laser engravers are getting better as time goes on. Today, the quality of cuts in thickness is not as bad as it was in the early days of fiber lasers. If you really want to get into fiber laser cutters but are concerned about cut quality, you should have the company you buy from the show you a demo. At Morphy, that’s what we do. Anyone local, we’ll let them walk in so we can cut out the samples they might need. Our customers can be confident that their machines will cut the product they require.
- Based on data I found online, the average price of a 4kW laser cutter costs $12.73/hr CO2 laser per day. The average cost of a 4kW fiber laser cutter is $6.24/hr.
- The main uses of fiber laser machines are cutting thin metals (0-5mm) and marking, engraving, annealing, etching, and even welding metals.
- CO2 lasers can use cut, mark, and engrave a wide range of non-metallic materials such as plastics, textiles, and stones.
- Fiber laser machines take up less space than CO2 laser machines. co 2 laser machines require gas tanks, pumps and piping. In contrast, fiber optic machines are much more compact.