Stainless steel laser marking has become increasingly important in industries such as aerospace and automotive, as well as during the production of medical devices where the authentication and traceability of individual parts and devices are critical.
Stainless steel laser marking engraves codes on parts and products at the high speeds required by industrial production. Many are capable of marking at speeds up to 900 meters per minute. Laser beams are directed to mark products and parts as they move along production lines, supporting higher productivity. The process creates permanent codes that ensure identification is possible throughout the product lifecycle.
Laser marking is the only coding technology that successfully marks stainless steel permanently since inkjet and thermal transfer codes may fade or wear off during production, shipping or use. As the ability to trace parts and products has become increasingly necessary to companies, permanence has increased in importance.
The laser marking process alters precisely targeted areas of a stainless steel surface to create a highly visible code in the material. This process eliminates the possibility of important identification information being blurred or obscured during or after application and becoming unreadable.
Stainless steel laser marking with fiber lasers
Fiber laser marking machines are the preferred systems for placing critical marking on stainless steel surfaces. These systems are used to mark codes and other data directly on stainless steel parts and on stainless steel plates that are attached to larger products. These codes may be numeric and alphanumeric text or 2D and conventional bar codes. Fiber lasers are compact compared to gas lasers of comparable power, and their high peak power and nanosecond pulses produce superior engraved results with cleaner cut edges and fast speeds.
Specifically engineered for marking on stainless steel, aluminum, and high-density plastics, the Videojet 7340 and 7440 fiber lasers provide permanent, traceable, and readable codes.
