Laser ablation is a common practice in the manufacturing of many different items, including medical equipment, automotive parts and technology components. Learn how it works and why laser ablation equipment from Laser Marking Technologies is right for your operations.
Laser ablation is the process of removing layers of a substrate through a chemical reaction. By applying a directed laser beam to a material, sublimation occurs, breaking the substance’s chemical bonds and transforming a solid into a gas almost instantaneously. The result is similar to engraving in that it makes a permanent mark on metal, ceramics, plastics and other materials without damaging the area around it.
The laser ablation process begins when the laser is directed at the material. This heats the material in only the precise path of the laser, allowing it to vaporize materials in the preferred shape or pattern. Every substrate has a unique ablation threshold you should determine prior to use — if the laser’s intensity does not meet that threshold, ablation is impossible.
At Laser Marking Technologies, our laser ablation equipment can come with two types of lasers, increasing application versatility:
The fiber laser is generally the choice for non-ferrous materials and nearly all metals. They’re also the preferred laser for projects involving thin materials and maximum precision.
A CO2 laser works better on plastics and organic substrates. They are generally preferred for working on thicker materials.
Gaining mastery of laser ablation requires an understanding of all the parameters that go into making a mark. Every project you ablate will require a different configuration of each of these settings:
Just as laser ablation can be used on a wide variety of materials, it also has a number of industrial applications. This process is commonly used in:
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