Laser marking is a wide field. Quite a lot of marking historically was done with CO2 lasers…which has a 10um output….which RPMC does not offer. CO2 lasers are quite inexpensive so when they will do the job well, they are a great choice. Firms such as Synrad (www.synrad.com) offer these.
Many materials do not mark well with a CO2. Indeed, some materials, such as metals, serve as a mirror for the CO2 output….and thus if you use the CO2 to try to mark those materials, a high percentage of the output power is reflected. Those materials are more commonly marked with 1 um (Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, or one of the many types of 1um fiber lasers) or a green or ultraviolet output which is made from the 1um laser.
Lamp pumped or diode pumped solid state lasers are used for a high percentage of marking, with most of those lasers having nanosecond output. More recently, many people have moved to nanosecond fiber lasers, often at 1um output. Recently, people have become interested in employing 1.5um lasers for marking because it is “eyesafe”. In truth, they are not eyesafe, but they are much less hazardous than the 1um lasers are.
At times, people want to make very deep marks. These are more commonly called engraving lasers, and they usually need to be higher in average output power.
Marking is a science in itself. Some materials mark readily with a certain amount of average power/cm2. Other materials mark much better with a certain amount of peak power, or more often, the right combination of average power and peak power.
