The laser marking of ABS works extremely well with the wavelength provided by Nd:YAG or fibre technology. The resulting laser mark will be a nice, crisp, well defined dark grey to black surface mark.
In this application, the component is too large to be completed as a single process, so the part has to be tooled for 3-4 different positions. Very little power is used during the laser marking process, so there are no heat effect issues. The component has been marked with a series of identification marks and symbols prior to assembly.
There are a number of differing changes to the material surface during laser marking, and it is very dependent on the material itself as to which one occurs.
- A thermochemical foaming, creating gas bubbles to the surface of the material, is the most common. The light scatters across the affected area producing the light marking that appears.
- Bleaching is another effect that is common. Here the pigment used to achieve the product colour is removed creating a visual difference.
- The third mechanism is vaporisation where the material is heated, very quickly, to the point where it vaporises and is removed leaving behind the created image.
These three laser marking effects can be enhanced by, the adding of laser sensitive additives and can generate considerable advantages. The additive acts as an abortion barrier, boosting the ability of the laser to process better. In some materials the laser marking ability would not be possible without this additive.
If you would like further information on this laser marking of ABS application, or any other application please request a call back or talk to one of our laser marking specialists on 01737 826902.
