UV Laser Marking Machine

Wavelength of UV laser light

Ultraviolet (UV) represents a group of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelength from 10 nm to 400 nm.

The wavelength of UV laser marking machine is around 355 nm,below is a chart of spectral wavelength and material absorption rate.

What is a UV Laser Marker

UV laser marking machine comes from its wavelength being in the ultraviolet portion of the light spectrum.UV Laser marking machines can also be known as UV Laser engraving machine,which can produce an ultraviolet laser beam to engrave or mark the surface of the materials.Compared with other lasers marker, its laser source adopts 355nm ultraviolet laser beam with a very small focus spot.

Using these laser marking to mark or engrave is called “Cold Marking,” which refers to how they can apply marking and processing with minimal heat damage due to their incredibly high absorption rate on a variety of materials.So,it is mainly used for ultra-fine marking and engraving and high accuracy applications.

In general,It has the output power of 3W, 5W, 8W, and 10W,the UV marking area is 100 x 100 mm or 150 x 150 mm etc.

How does it Work

The principle of UV laser marking machine is similar to that of laser marking machine.It apply UV laser beam to hit the surface of the materials and break the molecular bonds of materials to make permanent marks on the surface of various materials .

Benefits of using UV laser marker

Using UV laser marking can mark numbers, bar codes, logos and more on the surface of various materials 

Here are the benefits of using UV laser marking:

Minimizes pollution

While the traditional ink marking is non-toxic, the printer often use lubricants and solvents that can become airborne and contaminate printed products. Medical items often are produced in a classified clean-room.In this case, traditional ink marking would not be acceptable.

Maximizes authenticity

UV light are better absorbed than other wavelengths and can be fine and clear marked on many materials.This makes sure that marks can be clearly identified and cannot be altered or tampered with.

Improving speed

Compared to the traditional ink marking,UV laser marking posses very high marking sped and free-maintenance.

Flexible traceability

Laser marking can be marked on a variety of industries items, including  automotive,medical and electronic components etc.

In many industries,the authenticity and traceability of item is required by law. For example,for food company, use bar code traceability to fast make sure when and where the items was produced in the case of food safety issue, which is beneficial for product recalls.

What is Application of UV laser marker

UV laser marker is designed to be fine marking solution, especially suitable for PCB industry, such as high-end manufacturing PCB factory – EASHUB  uses UV laser marking machine to engrave flexible PCB. It can engrave a variety of materials, from metals to paper etc.Material and application including:

Material

• Part metals
• All plastics
•  All glass
• Part stones
• Paper
• Leather
• Fruits
• Wood
• Ceramic
• Garments etc.

Application

•  Fine marking on the surface of packaging bottles or bag for cosmetics, medicines, food and other polymer materials;
•  Flexible PCB board marking;
• LCD glass code marking;
• Engraving on the surface of glassware;
•  Marking of some metal surface;
• Plastic buttons, electronic components;
• Gifts, communication equipment etc marking;
• Building materials, etc.

UV laser vs Fiber Laser Vs CO2

All Types of lasers marking machine are unique, each one will be used for marking different materials and work.

In general,There are common three types of lasers used(UV laser,Fiber laser,CO2 Laser), so we will look at the pro’s and cons of each one.

UV Lasers

UV laser’s work is difference between CO2 or Fibre laser,which has a much shorter wavelength(355nm) than the others,UV lasers emit high-energy photons in the UV spectrum that break the chemical bonds in the material which causes the material to undergo non-thermal process damage hence do not damage the materials surrounding surface, suitable for anything require delicate or accurate work.

Pros

• Many materials marking available
• Long-life and maintenance-free
• Fine, high accurate work
• Low power output

Cons

• Not very fit engraving or cutting
• Higher cost than CO2

Fiber Laser

There are different types of fiber laser option,which is suitable for marking all metal and part Non-metallic materials . Fiber laser marker use high-energy light beam(10.6um) to evaporate the surface material to expose deeper material, essentially “carving” by chemical and physical changes.

Types of Fiber Lasers

There are two common types of fibre laser source adopted by laser marking machine manufacturer,The main difference between them is the  pulse width and frequency.

MOPA

MOPA laser with more flexible of pulse width and frequency adjustments available,which is suitable for marking color on the materials and not easy prone to producing unwanted deformations once perform work correctly

Q-Switched

Q-Switched is the most common type of fibre laser source, it is not efficient nor range of pulse modulations than MOPA lase ,so It is more low price.

Pros

• All metal and many Non-metallic materials
• Small body size
• High efficient
• Less power consumption than CO2 Laser
• Long-life and maintenance-free

Cons

• Not suit some organic materials (wood, glass, fabric etc.)
• Higher price than CO2 lasers
• Less material for marking than UV laser

CO2 Lasers

Making use of CO2 gas in a sealed high-voltage discharge tube as the laser medium to make gas molecules produce laser,then amplified it to form a high-energy light laser beam(10.6um) to vaporize the surface of material to engrave or cut.

CO2 laser machine is the most common type of laser used for engraving and cutting material,which is very suitable for organic materials and Non-metallic materials.

Pros

• Higher power and good energy conversion efficiency
• Good monochromaticity and better frequency stability
• Can mark organic materials and glass
• Lower price

Cons

• Less accurate
• Larger body size
• More maintenance
• Shorter lifetime
• Not very suitable for marking metals

Factors to Choose a UV Laser Maker

UV Laser marking machines usually adopts 355nm UV laser source to   mark or engrave materials like ceramics,plastics and glass etc.

Due to the high quality beam, UV laser can micro-mark electronics, circuit boards and microchips and medical equipment fine marking .

When you are purchasing a UV laser marking machine you should consider a few factors.

Type of UV Laser source

There are common tree types of UV laser source, including: Solid state ,gas lasers lasers and diodes.

Solid-State Laser:

One is solid-state, Q-switched Nd: YAG laser. In these lasers,utilizing a special crystal to make the infrared 1064 nm wavelength to the ultraviolet 353 nm wavelength. The beam shape is Gaussian shape hence the energy of circular spot gradually decreases from center to edge. Due to the short wavelength and beam quality limitations allow for focusing the beam to spot sizes on the order of 10 um.

In general, like full solid-state lasers, these UV lasers are very sensitive to temperature changes.It will take up to 30 minutes to reach sufficient stability after operation. The high repetition rate and small focused spot make these laser very suitable for small-size processing.

Application:

• Lasers below 1W are commonly to use DIY engravers.
• 1 W-3 W (1000-3000 mW) lasers output power. These lasers can cut cardboard, PLA, ABS,wood, plywood and PVC. However,cutting the thickness of the plywood can not exceed 2 to 3 mm.
• 3 W-6 W (3000-6000 mW) lasers output power, These lasers are suitable for cutting plywood and wood with max 3.2 mm thick, and other materials .

Gas Laser:

Two is gas laser. The wavelength of this laser based on the type of gas mixture. Instead of a circular beam, the beam shape is rectangular and provides a comparatively consistent energy density distribution,but the energy density of the beam reduces sharply at the edges,the distance between focusing spot and piece range from 50 to 100 mm.

Application:

Gas lasers are mainly used for industries requiring extreme precision. For example, micro-chip fabrication and manufacturing industries.

Metal Vapor Laser:

Another is metal vapor laser.Although vapors of several metals can be done,but the copper vapor laser is mainly used,which can generate 511 nm and 578 nm wavelength radiation. Moreover, frequency mixing and doubling used to generate 255 nm, 271 nm, and 289 nm wavelength ultraviolet radiation. These beam is also Gaussian shape,which is suitable for applications similar to solid-state Laser.

Application:

These lasers is suitable for processing metals, diamond, silica, glass, silicon, ceramics and many other materials.

Type of material

Choosing the UV laser machine mainly depends on marking the type of material that you require.

Budget

If you only have a limited budget, then you might select a cheap but uncompromised main function UV laser marker instead of expensive one.

Laser power

The power of laser is measured in Watts. The more watts the more powerful the laser is. The power of the laser is important parameter for UV laser marking machine,which will affect your purchasing cost and the marking clarity of some material.

How to maintain a UV Laser marking machine

UV laser marker is good helpful for increasing our business efficiency when it has been keeping a good condition .So, we should maintain it for a longer period,below are some setup:

Cut off the power after operation.

Do not perform the maintenance when it is on.

If you feel any unusual condition, cut off the power.

Clean up the dust.

Be careful while removing or cleaning the focus lens.

Do not put any other items on the device.