Fiber lasers are the go-to option for part marking, engraving and especially metal. They are very well established in many industries and are often found on manufacturing lines, workshops and more, all around the world.
With most fiber laser modules possessing more than 100,000 operating hours before any maintenance is needed, they are exceptionally reliable (however other components in a laser marking system may require regular service). Moreover, as fiber laser engraver can be easily adjusted to achieve greater depth, they are very flexible and easy-to-use.
Operating at the 1,064nm wavelength, they are very well suited to metals, but can also operate on a much wider array of materials. This is why they are the most common choice for traceability marks such as barcodes, QR codes and text. Plus, their use for other graphics on things like personalised items, switches, phones, jewellery, becomes more popular day-by-day.
CO2 laser cutters and engravers are excellent for organic materials like rubber, wood, paper, glass and ceramic. They are also the go-to choice for cutting acrylic and other plastics.
CO2 systems are amongst the most common type of laser used for industrial engraving and cutting. Smaller, low power units are those most commonly used by hobbyists due to their low cost (but also have a far lower operating lifetime).
Making use of CO2 gas in a sealed tube, acting as the laser medium, they operate at the 10,600nm wavelength. Unlike other technologies here, CO2 lasers typically come in a plotter format, however they are also available in a sealed unit.
A plotter system is a motion system that usually contains several stepper or servos, rails and belts. Attached to this are a series of 3 or 4 mirrors that deliver the beam via deflection to a focus carriage that usually contains a single layer plano-convex lens.
Whilst operating, the lens moves over the work area, which is usually large and rectangular in shape, to deliver the focused laser to the work piece.
This is a sealed unit, typically containing 2 mirrors that are attached to galvanometers. The beam is focused through a fixed lens known as an F-Theta lens that at the 1µm wavelength. The work area is constraint by the characteristics of the lens and is usually quite small and circular in shape. Technically this is known as a beam deflection laser.
These are the most common type of lasers found in manufacturer systems as they are relatively inexpensive. Although effective, they are slower than RF systems. Moreover, the laser power output will gradually decline and they have a shorter working lifespan (although manufacturers may quote 10,000 hours, this is only when used at low power settings).
RF systems may be more expensive, but the benefits often out way the cost. We opt for this technology in many of our machines so they can operate at much higher speeds, in fact, our systems are typically more than twice the speed of other manufacturers. Unlike DC, the power output of the laser will remain virtually constant over its lifespan. Moreover the quality of the beam delivery and a life expectancy can be over 20,000 hours (almost 8 years of single shift work), so it’s a “no-brainer” when looking at CO2 laser cutters.
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