--------------------------

Durablack: The durable metal designed for laser engraving

20. November 2023 •

About

Whatever your product, selecting the right material is paramount to your success. Whilst the production process impacts the finished results, the material itself is a core consideration, from the processing time through to the finished result.  

Manufacturing is an example where both production tools and materials play an equally important role. In this sector, products need to be legible, durable and easy to process, with laser engraving technology fast becoming the go-to production tool.   

Many materials are used to make industrial products such as dataplates, including stainless steel, anodised aluminium and more, but is there a more suitable material? In this article, we discuss Durablack, and how it excels as an optimised laser engraving material.  

Article contents: 

  1. What is Durablack? 
  2. What makes Durablack more suitable for common applications? 
  3. Durablack vs Alumamark
  4. Conclusion

What is Durablack?

Durablack is a black anodised aluminium material optimised for CO2 laser engraving. The material makeup allows for "A" grade identification labels to be easily created, while highly detailed, human-readable images can reproduced in the finest details.  

What sets Durablack apart from standard anodised aluminium is its matt finish and non-reflective urethane top coating, which make it conform to various industry and military standards.   

Durablack offers exceptional resistance to common exterior agents found in industrial environments. Offering resistance to salt water, chemicals and abrasion, Durablack is also suitable for exterior use due to its UV stability, with laser engraved details remaining long after comparative materials would have tarnished.  

Discover Durablack

What makes Durablack more suitable than comparable materials?

Laser engraving, marking and cutting have become the go-to production tool for many industries with manufacturing being no exception. Anodised aluminium, stainless steel and plastic laminates are all suitable for laser engraving, so why does Durablack stand out from these materials? 

As a coated metal, Durablack is ready for laser engraving without additional marking solutions. As soon as the laser engraving process finishes, the product is ready for use. In contrast, uncoated metals such as stainless steel require additional sprays and pastes to process with a CO2 laser, not only adding cost but significantly increasing production time.

Whilst Durablack is an anodised aluminium, the material coating features integrated abrasion resistance, something not found in standard materials. This creates a longer-lasting product and reduced production steps which result in a chemical resistant and outdoor stable finished product. 

Durablack is also specifically developed for CO2 laser processing. Whilst other materials are not designed with any production method in mind, Durablack is capable of reproducing highly detailed images with any CO2 laser system, making it ideal for markets where applications such as serialisation and details schematics are prevalent.  

Laser engraving metals

What applications is Durablack suitable for?

Durablack has near-universal suitability for industrial applications requiring laser engraving. Its coating makes creating detailed, readable images such as schematics, serial numbers, bar codes and more a quick and easy task.  

Typically, Durablack is used for: 

  • Unique Identification plates 
  • Barcoding 
  • Signage & wayfinding  
  • Oil, Gas and renewables tags 
  • Plant labels 
  • and more 

Watch the video below to see an example of a Durablack sign created for a zoo using a Speedy laser engraving machine. 

 
Discover Durablack

Durablack vs Alumamark 

Alumamark is another anodised aluminium offered by Trotec, also optimised for CO2 laser engraving. Both materials feature similar characteristics, including engraving sharpness, processing speeds and ease of processing. Despite the similarities, Alumamark is designed for different applications.  

Alumamark is designed for interior products and is used for trophy plates or photographic laser engraving applications. Unlike Durablack, Alumamark doesn't feature an integrated abrasion-resistant coating, meaning an additional step and cost is required to make it UV stable.  

Durablack can be used for similar applications to Alumamark however some considerations need to be made. Cosmetically, Alumamark is available in many different colours, while Durablack is purely black. The thermal reaction between laser engraving and material for Alumamark will create a black mark regardless of material colour, while Durablack will always engrave white (without depth).  

When purchasing these products from trotec, both are available cut to size and with next-day delivery, as well as round corners and hole drilling. For more information about which material is suitable for your requirements, contact Trotec's materials experts.  

Contact Trotec 

Conclusion 

In summary, Durablack is a stand-out material for industrial use, especially when laser engraving.  

Its abrasion and chemical resistant coating guarantees greater longevity for products, and, when coupled with the highly detailed results possible when laser engraving, it's easy to see why Durablack is the go-to material for major OEMs in the UK.  

To find out more about this great material and to request a sample, contact Trotec today.  

Request a sample

Proud member of troGROUP Logo