Fiber Laser Marking

Why are so many industries using fiber laser marking as part of their operations? Although each use case is unique, manufacturers are benefitting in a number of ways. First, it provides non-contact, high-speed marking with extreme accuracy. As a result, reduced wear on parts and less risk of material distortion are achieved. Fiber laser marking machines stand out for their low maintenance costs and long operational life, reducing downtime.

Fast marking and deep engraving are possible due to the lasers high average power. For manufacturers, a fiber laser engraving machine is particularly advantageous for environments where high-volume production lines demand speed and efficiency. Businesses can avoid costly delays, as the technology of these machines ensures consistent performance, even under continuous use. Additionally, their ability to mark intricate designs, text, or codes in a single pass enhances both product traceability and branding efforts.

Now that we’ve gone over the benefits, let's look at specific applications that use fiber laser engravers from KEYENCE. In the automotive industry, they are essential because they mark engine parts, VIN codes, and component identifiers, making it possible to track each part throughout its lifecycle.
Aerospace industry manufacturers use these machines to precisely mark turbine blades, flight instruments, and safety equipment with information such as inspection marks or serial numbers in order to comply with regulatory requirements.

Fiber laser marking guarantees that parts like circuit boards and microchips are accurately marked with identifying numbers, QR codes, or other markings that can survive challenging conditions in the electronics industry.

Medical device manufacturing has many uses for fiber laser engraving machines. For instance, marking surgical tools and implants with UDI (Unique Device Identification) codes ensures full traceability while complying with FDA regulations.

In the energy sector, fiber laser marking is used to label and track components in renewable energy systems. For example, wind turbine parts and solar panel assemblies are marked with serial numbers, manufacturing dates, and maintenance information to ensure efficient monitoring and servicing. Reliability and efficiency of renewable energy sources are increased by the ease of maintenance and longevity of energy infrastructure.

Below are details on what a hybrid laser marker is and how it differs from the standard fiber laser marker.

A Hybrid laser marker is a combination of a fiber laser and a YVO₄ laser. Fiber lasers are known for their high average power, which is especially important for deep engraving or tight cycle times, while maintaining a long service life. YVO₄ laser markers are known for their high beam quality, peak power, and versatility when it comes to marking a wide range of materials. The KEYENCE Hybrid laser has been designed to capitalize on the strengths of both of these laser markers. The built-in oscillator (S-MOPA) provides the advantages of both technologies giving the hybrid a high average power and longer service life, while also giving it the high beam quality, peak power, and overall versatility that the YVO₄ laser provides. This makes the hybrid laser marker the most versatile and well rounded laser on the market.

The main difference between the hybrid and the fiber lasers are their peak powers and their pulse widths. Peak power is the intensity of the light and pulse width is the duration of light. Hybrid lasers have the characteristic of easily creating light with a high peak and short pulse, which they get from the YVO₄ technology. Fiber lasers have the characteristic of easily creating light with a low peak and long pulse. When subjecting materials to a laser, the processing results vary greatly depending on the pulse differences.

The beam quality of a laser marker is extremely important because it can determine the energy concentration and overall effectiveness of the laser. The quality of a beam is measured with a M2 value, the closer this value is to 1 the higher the quality of the beam. This is also one of the differences between hybrid and fiber laser markers. The YVO₄ oscillator in the hybrid laser generates a beam with an M2 value less than 1.3, which is significantly better than the fiber standard around 2.

The reason that this is important is the better the beam quality the more consistent the mark and the greater the depth of focus. Depth of focus is an important factor for basic performance in order to achieve and maintain marking quality. When used in combination with the Z tracking function, this also results in a very high tolerance to height deviation, one of the most common concerns or issues with laser marking in general.

The combination of fiber technology and YVO₄ technology makes the hybrid laser one of the most, if not the most, versatile lasers on the market. With S-MOPA, high peak power, short pulse duration, and high beam quality the hybrid laser can mark almost every material. Below shows the comparison of how well UV, Green, Hybrid, Fiber, and CO₂ lasers mark a variety of materials.

A fiber laser engraves by heating the material until a point of vaporization, leaving an engraved marking behind. Fiber lasers have a much higher output power than conventional laser markers. As a result, they're able to perform most applications at a much faster pace. Choose a fiber laser marker when you need a fast mark or a deep engrave on metal.

CO₂ lasers and fiber lasers both use infrared range light. However, they process differently. Fiber lasers use a wavelength of 1090 nm, while CO₂ lasers use 10x that—a 10600 nm wavelength. Because of the drastic difference in wavelengths, fiber and CO₂ lasers are generally purposed for very different applications.

The high heat of CO₂ lasers makes them optimal for processing transparent targets that don’t absorb fiber laser light. Likewise, fiber lasers process metals that do not absorb CO₂ laser light.

However, these lasers are both excellent for laser cutting. Both a CO₂ and fiber laser machine will excel at cutting because of their high output power.

UV lasers and fiber lasers use different methods for processing; therefore, these lasers are not interchangeable. While the fiber laser uses an infrared laser with a wavelength of 1090 nm for heating materials, UV lasers use a 355 nm UV laser. Additionally, instead of traveling through a fiber, UV lasers travel through two crystals to reach the final beam point.

Because these lasers use different methods, they process completely different materials. Since the 355 nm wavelength of a UV laser is so readily absorbed, it processes material through photolytic degradation or “cold marking.” This allows for high-contrast marking with little to no thermal impact on the product being marked. Because of the lack of heat stress, UV lasers are commonly used on sensitive materials like paper, plastic, resin, and cardboard. They are commonly used for marketing metals in specific industries where surface finish, depth, and material properties of products cannot be compromised.

Starting with the fiber laser for engraving from KEYENCE gives you access to technology made for the various demands of contemporary manufacturing. Our fiber laser marking solutions offer the accuracy and dependability you require, whether your aim is to improve branding with logos, meet industry regulations, or improve product traceability.

With easy-to-use software, KEYENCE helps companies incorporate fiber laser technology into their current production lines. Contact us today to find out how state-of-the-art fiber laser equipment can improve the accuracy and efficiency of your manufacturing process.