Increased productivity in metal marking
Compare different possibilities by looking at a stainless steel data plate
Marking metals with a CO2 laser engraving machine
Marking metals with a fiber laser engraving machine
In terms of productivity, efficiency and quality, using a fiber laser machine is the ideal solution for marking metals. Compared to using a CO2 laser machine with coating sprays, a fiber laser requires no additional material prep when processing metals and the finished product is uniform and precise with even the finest intricacies clearly legible.
Additionally, you can use other processing techniques to produce unique finishes into your materials by adjusting the laser parameters. For example, anneal marking to create rich white or black colors or deep engraving into metals to produce counterfeit-proof and long-lasting prints.
Explore the many possibilities of marking metals with a fiber laser machineFiber laser engravers- galvo lasers and laser plotters
Fiber lasers are offered in a few styles, including as a laser plotter in the Speedy series as well as in the form of galvo lasers in the SpeedMarker series.
Determining whether a laser plotter or a galvo laser will better suit your business needs will ultimately depend on what the laser machine is being used for, as well as your specific application requirements.
Comparing the processing times between the various machine styles and marking methods
Comparing the processing times for laser marking the same data plate between a Speedy CO2 laser machine and a Speedy fiber laser machine will result in roughly a 1 minute difference, with the Speedy fiber being slightly faster. This can be attributed to the fact that a fiber laser source requires less material preparation than a CO2 laser source when marking metals, such as the application of coating sprays as well as post-processing clean up. This means that more time can be spent on processing additional jobs, which will increase productivity. Comparatively, a SpeedMarker galvo style laser marking machine can process materials in even less time than a Speedy series laser plotter with either laser source options.
All of these factors should be evaluated and carefully considered when determining whether a galvo laser machine or laser plotter is the right fit for you.
If you would like additional information on the comparison between CO2 and fiber laser technologies or metal marking in general, visit our laser type overview page or laser marking and laser engraving metal.
Process Steps | Speedy CO2 + laser marking paste | Speedy Fiber / Flexx | SpeedMarker |
---|---|---|---|
Preparation and applying laser marking paste | 4 min | - | - |
Drying | 10 min | - | - |
Laser processing | 5 min | 21 min | 2 min |
Cleaning, Drying | 3 min | - | - |
22 min | 21 min | 2 min |