Plastic/Resin

Peel the paint or printing on the target surface to bring out the contrast with the color of the base material.

(Example) Automobile instrument panel switch

Conventional methods (like printing and stamping) require full plate changeovers when a design change occurs. With a laser marker, you can adjust layouts by simply changing the program.

Remove/engrave the surface layer with a laser.

(Example) Half cut

A laser marker can be used to easily process a cutting section. Physical cutters are conventionally used in these scenarios, but they're difficult to adjust and time-consuming to change. Moreover, physical blades must be replaced often (incurring hard costs) and there's a risk that the blade will come loose and get left in the product.

Irradiate a plastic target with a laser to develop a color in the target itself.

(Example) Wide-area marking on LSI

By using laser radiation to develop a color instead of engraving the plastic, damage from marking the target is minimized.

Use the heat of laser radiation to weld and join plastic parts.

(Example) Welding of transparent plastic and colored plastic

Traditional welding can cause vibration which may affect the product or produce burrs. Since laser welding does not make contact with products, it won't damage them or produce burrs.

When a base material is irradiated with a laser, gas bubbles are generated inside the material due to the thermal effect of the radiation. Gasified, evaporated bubbles are contained in the surface layer of the base material and create a whitish swelling. When the base material has a dark color, the swelling is highly visible and typically lighter than it was before marking.

When a base material absorbs the laser energy, the thermal effect increases the molecular density.
The molecules are condensed and the color becomes darker.

When an area is continuously irradiated by laser light, macromolecules of the element around the base material are carbonized and turn black.

The “pigment” elements in a base material typically contain metallic ions. Laser radiation changes the crystal structure of the ions and the hydration level in the crystal. Consequently, the composition of the element itself changes chemically, resulting in color development due to the increased intensity of the pigment.

Laser irradiation produces highly visible black / white marks depending on the target plastic's color. As a result, laser marking provides a printing-like finish that cannot be erased.

Laser markers can easily create clear, white marks on epoxy plastics. They're great replacements for stamps, labels and printers. The highly-visible, print-like markings do not disappear like ink.