additives | Laser marking and welding
The TMG 3 from LPKF can be used as a
stand-alone or inline QA tool in laser welding applications
flexible calculation and preview of axis kinematics. It also now offers an Unwrapping option that considerably simplifies application of a 2D image onto a 3D surface. In the hardware area, ROFIN’s PowerLine E UV marking laser source features a 355nm wavelength and can deliver extremely small spots, allowing it to create characters of less than 100 microns high. It is said to be very well suited for high-speed marking of plastics such as ABS and PA in industrial
tracking coding work as well as for decoration and product customisation. According to Eckart, LaserSafe is suitable for laser marking with all standard laser
Right: ROFN’s VLM system allows 2D
images to be simply
“wrapped”
onto 3D laser marked surfaces
technology, including the Nd:YAG laser system operating at 1064 nm. The company says this technol- ogy is becoming increasingly popular for the marking of caps and closures and other plastic articles. LaserSafe additives can also be processed easily and are designed for use with both transparent and coloured plastics. They work well with polymers that are inherently poor for laser marking, such as polyolefins, as well as engineering plastics including PA, PET, PS/ SAN and PC/ABS. Colour stability is said to be good even at low dosage levels.
Equipment innovations Aside from the improved additive technologies, developments in laser equipment and application are contributing to the increasing interest in both marking and welding. On the laser marking software front, ROFIN recently introduced VLM (Visual Laser Marker) 5.3, which is claimed to simplify 3D marking on irregularly shaped surfaces. The latest version of the VLM software includes a variety of integrated tools that allow visualisation of the angle of incident and handle
production. The company has also introduced a desktop laser marker for plastic materials – EasyMark. This is a modular system that offers a large working area within an extremely compact housing and can be equipped with a variety of optic and camera options. It accommo- dates air-cooled laser sources with power ratings ranging from 10-50 W. Meanwhile, the TMG3 is a new measuring tool from laser welding specialist LPKF Laser & Electronics. The company says laser welding has a large process window and can be well-monitored through existing quality assurance measures. However, problems can arise when the welding conditions fall outside of defined
material parameters – different material gauges, pigments, additive mixing ratios or absorp-
tion coefficients, for example. The TMG3 can be used as a stand-alone or inline 100% measuring tool to detect any welding irregularities before the process begins.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.sabreen.com ❙
www.polyone.com ❙
www.budenheim.com ❙
www.eckart.net ❙
www.rofin.de ❙
www.lpkf.com
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