WHAT IS LASER ENGRAVING?
Laser engraving is a process by which a beam of focused light interacts with the surface material to vaporize or remove a layer of the surface material leaving a cavity in the surface that is generally visible to the eye and noticeable to the touch. The amount of material removed and the depth of the cavity can be controlled by a skilled engineer to produce quality engravings in any material type.
Here at Prestige MFG we have extensive experience laser engraving a wide array of materials and parts for all industries to provide exacting solutions that meet or exceed our customer’s needs and specifications.
The terminology Laser Engraving is often used interchangeably with Laser Etching, Deep Laser Engraving and Laser Ablation. Each of these types of engraving are removing or vaporizing the surface material.
LASER ETCHING AND DEEP LASER ENGRAVING
The difference between laser etching and deep laser engraving is a matter of depth and where the line falls is subjective based on the shop you are dealing with and the material to be engraved. Going .005” deep on aluminum is very different that doing it on titanium and both are different than stainless or tool steel. An operator must have the skill, experience and most importantly the right laser for deep engraving on that material, because most lasers generate heat. Excessive heat while deep engraving will damage and potentially destroy a part thus choosing the right laser engraving service provider is crucial.
LASER ABLATION
Like etching and deep engraving, laser ablation is removing or vaporizing the surface material. The difference is ablation is removing a coating to expose either the bare surface material or another coating underneath. Examples of coatings would be anodized, powder coating or paint.
Applications for Laser Ablation
- Anodized aluminum parts, ID tags and plates
- Powder Coated marine and boat parts
- Backlit buttons used in cars, boats, aircraft and space vehicles
- TESA Secure Labels
WHY PRESTIGE MFG LASER ENGRAVING?
- Permanent, able to withstand the harshest environments.
- You can add logos, bar codes, Mil-Std-130 UID, UDI, identification codes, lot codes, serial numbers, and more.
- Makes products, parts and components easy to identify.
- There are no tools or moving parts, only a beam of light so laser engraving can be performed inside hard to reach areas of a part.
- The process is computer driven and controlled making it fast and accurate every time.
Prestige MFG has over 40 years of experience and we are the market leader in innovative tooling and processes to add value to our customer’s products. Our focus is on quality and customer service and our business prides itself on honesty and transparency.
We process both short run and large full production cycles, no job is to large or small.
If you have any questions about your parts, upcoming jobs or looking for general information, contact your local sales team with offices in Derwood, MD.
We look forward to serving you.
FlexMarker features a heavy-duty industrial laser marking system. It is a fully enclosed Class 1 laser marking system. The system has a compact footprint and is easy to use. It can have different fields of view to best suit any application, an accurate and easily adjustable focal point and can be fitted with rotary axis or custom fixture for challenging applications.
Each system is individually optimized based on the customer’s specific application as well as range of materials in order to produce fast and permanent marking with high resolution and contrast.
Typical applications include alphanumeric part numbers, lot and date codes, serialization, linear and 2-D barcodes, logos, finishing and texturing, ablation, paint removal, annealing and much more.
FlexMarker is very effective on:
- Metallic materials such as anodized and polished aluminum, mild steel, all finishes of stainless steel, copper, nickel, brass, tool steel, carbides, titanium, painted and chromium plated or galvanized metals;