Precise, cost efficient laser marking & coding solutions
Laser marking and coding are precise, cost-efficient solutions for imprinting vital information onto products, packaging or parts. Laser coding and marking systems can be used to create high-quality, repeatable marks ranging from bold, large-scale graphics to discrete, finely detailed marks.
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Laser marking involves creating a contrasting surface mark on a target material via a properly matched scan head, controller and laser. Marking can be achieved via laser ablation, discoloration, engraving, texturing, or other surface modification processes. Meanwhile, laser coding is a type of marking, but the mark created will vary from item to item or from batch to batch. Laser coding is typically used to mark important information such as expiry dates or serial numbers.
The benefits of using a laser marking system include:
Novanta Photonics has 35+ years’ experience in designing and manufacturing reliable, high-performance laser modules and subsystems, tailored to customers’ demanding marking and coding applications. We use Applications Testing Labs, our deep proprietary expertise, and an engineer-to-engineer approach to develop high-precision laser solutions for leading organizations.
Use laser coding to create clear characters to support traceability. Laser coding systems can be used for either raster-based character marking (filled or decorative fonts), or vector-based marks (single-stroke fonts or outlines). Vector fonts are typically used for serial and date codes, and can be applied with a high level of accuracy at high speed.
Graphical laser marking is used to create detailed logos, gray-scale images, and more. Raster marking creates filled or gray-scale images row by row, while vector marking is used to mark unfilled shapes in a series of lines, following the path of the graphic. Used for:
Direct Part Marking (DPM) of machine-readable codes is used by the automotive, aerospace, electronics, and medical industries to enable traceability throughout the product lifecycle. This supports:
Ultrafast lasers provide cold marking or processing to mark materials with little to no heat. This type of laser marking uses shorter wavelengths and excellent beam quality to produce fine detail in small areas, without impacting the surrounding material. It’s often used to create black marks on sensitive materials, including: