TECHNOLOGY | LASER MARKING
Above: Silvet LR laser receptive aluminium pigments from Silberline can be laser marked
pipes, electronic components, medical products and laboratory equipment, and more. Gabriel-Chemie says its Maxithen laser marking
masterbatch is suitable for processing in injection moulding and extrusion of thick-walled products. It can also provide masterbatches for film extrusion upon request. Three kinds of marking colour are pos- sible: dark marking (carbonisation); light marking (foaming), and coloured marking (on black). The company has also developed a completely transpar- ent laser additive for use in clear plastics. “It enables dark depth marking that is gentle on surfaces and has an extremely good contrast,” it says. The company’s laser competence centre in Germany has also developed a number of formula- tions using special pigments. The visual properties of these pigments can be modified by the laser, achieving effects ranging from complete opacity to a desired degree of translucency. Applications range from back-lit switches to cosmetics packag- ing and elements for decorative applications.
Special effects Special-effect additives can also be used with laser decoration. Merck, for example, offers its Iriotec 8000 series pigments, comprising eight grades using various chemical formulations. These can be used for laser marking as well as Laser Direct Structuring applications. Silberline offers Silvet LR (Laser Receptive) aluminium pigments that allow precise definition when using CO2
or Nd:YAG
lasers. The company says that in uncoloured compounds, the additive gives very bright silver metallic effects while in coloured compounds it provides a “cost effective superior performance” alternative to pearlescents.
Foiling counterfeiters A more recent use for laser-sensitive additives is in combating counterfeiters. In this case, shining a laser on the part causes the additive to fluoresce; once the radiation is removed, the fluorescence stops. Several suppliers of additives and com- pounds are working in this area (see CW January
66 COMPOUNDING WORLD | February 2018
2018), including PolyOne. The company cites a recent project example for a major manufacturer of water storage, purification, and treatment equip- ment that was suffering from counterfeiters. “They not only ate into revenue but also raised the cost of sales and the potential for unjustified product responsibility issues,” PolyOne says. The unnamed manufacturer was having to defend product failure lawsuits brought by con- struction companies who thought they had purchased genuine equipment. “Legal costs became a significant and completely unforeseen drain on finances. What’s worse, the equipment manufacturer’s reputation for quality products was beginning to take a beating,” says PolyOne. The customer had been marking its articles using hot foil stamping and ink printing. “These marking methods required consumables, frequent tool changes and adjustments, regular quality control checks, and storage of the consumables,” PolyOne says. It proposed a multi-functional solution, including a laser-marking additive, an authentication additive and a colorant, bundled into a single Smartbatch masterbatch. “OnCap laser-marking additive technology made laser marks more visible and indelible to create an overt signal that more easily identified the manufacturer’s genuine products in a difficult- to-simulate fashion. It also meant the end of hassles with hot stamp foil and ink,” PolyOne claims. “Percept anti-counterfeiting technology created an authentication method, not visible to the human eye, to help lower the financial result of fighting court cases, once the covert authentication was revealed. The concentrate also included the
200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
000000 – natural 904040 – laser-transparent black
B3235
B3235 LT B3233 HR B3235 HR LT
Laser transparency of the Pocan LT grades is much better than standard Pocan PBTs Source: Lanxess
www.compoundingworld.com
PHOTO: SILBERLINE relative laser transparency [%]
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