This 35 mm diameter disk, manufactured from stainless steel has been plated in 24ct. Gold. The laser engraving on each side being representative of deep engraving by laser.
There seems to be an increasing market for the supply of customised products, the more unusual the better. You will see from other examples on the site, we have provided marking across many products prior to or after gold plating, that adds value and provides personalisation. In this example, to test was to establish if deep engraving provided similar impact, would it be as hard wearing as other products and, as cost effective as other processes.
The laser cannot be compared to other deep engraving methods on the same commercial levels. When the laser removes material it is done in many thin layers, removing microns at a time. The process is therefore slow. Mechanical methods would be much quicker, and therefore more commercially acceptable, especially if you are doing many of the same parts. When you’re doing a one off, you need flexibility and maybe fine detail, then the laser can be the better option. There are things that the laser package can provide that mechanical engraving cannot. Font selection, creating images as a couple of examples.
In theory, the depth of engraving does not have to be as deep, as the image suggests, if gold plating is used. As long as the image is deeper than the plating thickness, then the image will remain after the plating. The plating follows the surface contour rather than a straight reflow over the surface. Before gold plating the coin, we engraved the words ‘HEADS’ and ‘TAILS’ on either side of the coin, in several different languages, using a laser with a 1064um wavelength (commonly referred to as a flash lamp Nd:YAG).
One side has the image engraving into it, while on the other, the image background is removed leaving the image proud of the surface. The image happens to be heads and tails indicated in a number of different languages, and because of its design, it is a unique object given as a gift, and made more valuable by the fact that it is gold plated.
If you would like further information on this laser application, or any other application, please request a call back or talk to one of our laser marking specialists on 01737 826902.
