How to choose a fiber laser marking machine best suitable for you

The fiber laser marking technology now has been adopted by many manufacturers. The optical fiber laser marker is much better than the traditional one in many aspects. However, how to choose a suitable one among plenty of products in the market, is the big question for most purchasers who lack of experiences in this aspect. This paper will give detailed recommendations for you, follow these advices, you will never miss the perfect marker suitable for you.

When we buy a machine, we should know what it is at first. We may learn about the marking machine from the following aspects: components, working principles, characteristics, advantages, main indicators and models.

What is a fiber laser marking machine made of? 

Fiber laser marking machine now has been widely applied in the metal industry, non-metal industry and special industries. It is commonly seen in the jewelry laser marking, energy saving lamp laser marking, fasteners laser marking, capacitor aluminum case laser marking, grinding wheel laser marking, automotive accessories laser marking or even eggs laser marking. Thus it can be seen that, fiber laser marking machine is a rising star today. So, do you know what is a fiber laser marking machine made of?

1. Fiber laser source: the element producing laser by the gain medium of glass fiber blended with rare earth element, therefore, it is the core of a fiber laser marking machine. It has a wide application, such as laser fiber communication, laser space long-distance communication, industrial shipbuilding industry, automotive making etc.. There are many domestic brands Raycus, Maxlaser, JPT, FEIBO. The overseas brands include: Coherent, IPG, and SPI. All the above are famous and widely used laser sources.

2. Galvanometer: galvanometer is also called as current meter, as it is totally designed by the way to design the ampere meter, the different is: the needle of ampere meter is replaced by lens; it is mainly used in laser marking, laser engraving etc., currently, the galvanometer applied in fiber laser marking machine is digital type of 10mm facula.

3. Field lens: it is also called as field focus lamp, scanning lens, F-θ lens, which is mainly used for focusing beams produced by galvanometer on a plane. Warm tips: you should check the marking scope when purchasing the marking machine according to your needs. It is not necessary to buy a large one or expensive one, you need to buy the most suitable one for you.

4. Marking card: also called laser control card, laser marking card. It is used for converting the texts and graphs in computer to analog signal or digital signal and then transmitting it into galvanometer.

5. Red light indicator: also called as red light pen, as the 1064nm beam is invisible, while the 650nm beam is visible, the 1064nm beam and 650nm beam are coincided by a beam combiner, 1064nm beam follows the direction of 650nm beam indicating to realize the function indicating the light path. The red light pen is in the red light combiner rack.

6. Beam combiner: it is also known as beam combining lens, it is used for indicating the light path. As 1064nm laser is invisible, but we have to know where is the focus point in the practical marking processing, so as to determine the marking position.

7. Cabinet: it is also called as fiber laser marking machine cabinet, laser control cabinet. If we take a fiber laser marking machine as a house, then the cabinet is the framework of the house, all other accessories are in the house.

8. PC controller: the ordinary computer is also applicable. For fiber laser marking machine, as it adopts USB marking card, and laptop is also applicable, the fiber laser marking machine can be made into portable one.

Besides the above, there are fiber laser marking machine, power supply of fiber laser device, main power control box (which is not needed in portable marking machine), and the red light combining lens rack. A marking machine equipped with fiber laser device can produce high quality beam with an output center of 1064nm and whole service life about 100,000 hours, which can convert 28% above electro-optics and performs excellent in energy saving and environmental protection. So, compared with the traditional processing methods such as corrosion, electric spark processing, mechanical scratching and printing, laser marking machine is a modern precision processing method with the following advantages:

Firstly, it adopts laser technology for processing, which can process the working pieces without needing contact the processing targets. The machine can work without generating any cutting force or much heat effect, thereby securing the original precision of working pieces. Meanwhile, it suits a variety of materials and can make fine marks on surface of different materials that can last for a long time.

Secondly, the machine can control the processing space and time quite well by using the laser technology. It can be adjusted by the material, shape and size of processing targets, as well as the processing environment. It works in a flexible way, and fit in with the need of single design in labs as well as the need of batch production; Thirdly, fiber laser marking machine can work a fine line up to millimeter or even micron, which is impossible to be modeled or changed. Therefore, we can see, the fiber laser marking machine plays an extremely important role in product anti-counterfeiting; Fourthly. Through the combination of laser processing system and computer digital technology, an efficient automatic processing equipment that can print kinds of texts, symbols and patterns is made up, which is easy to design the marking pattern and change the marking content by software, and adapted to the need of modern production on efficiency and speed; Last but not the least, the fiber laser marking machine is a kind of clean and green processing technology without any pollution source.

All the above are the basic knowledge about the machine, that’s not enough for us seeking for the best appropriate product. We should also think about the following questions before deciding which one to select, so that we can own a machine perfectly suit for us.

Determine our needs

First of all, we should think that if we really need such a machine in our work? We should have a deliberate consideration on this question before we buy one. We should confirm that the marking machine is really necessary in our work and we cannot find a better one to replace it no matter from the point of price or performance. Many people do not understand much about the laser marking machine, so they are unable to pinpoint which industry will it be applied in and will they need it. Actually, the laser marking machine has a wide application. On the terms of concept, a fiber laser marking machine is required when you want to mark something. But it depends on the specific material, such as the material that can be printed. If it is a rough work piece, then the laser marking machine is not needed. If you are from the hardware industry, wrenches, gauges, sanitary ware, stainless steel tableware, medical apparatus, cases and bags can be marked by a fiber laser cutting machine. If you are from the gift industry, the machine may be useful to mark on wooden boxes, USB, laptop etc., while if you are from the clock and instruments industry, it may be suitable for the metal watchcase, watch base, spectacle frame, instruments and panels. In addition, the machine is also suitable for marking on mobile telephone shell, electronic elements and devices in electrommunication industry.

Next step, we should consider the following factors based on the product itself. First of all, we should clearly know the key parts of a fiber laser marking machine, such as the laser device, the galvanometer. We may select the product by comparing the advantages of such parts the machine adopts, for example, the laser source.

As the laser source is the most important part in the whole laser marking machine, its quality decides the quality of the whole machine. Generally, the imported laser source has higher quality, which can produce better beam and has higher electro-optics conversion rate, while the domestic products are inferior to the imported one. But they can also meet the need of every industry. So, if you have the fund problem, you may choose the domestic laser source with lower price. Also, a good laser lens can reflect much more laser with less consumption, which is good for increasing the electro-optics conversion rate of laser marking machine. While the lens can be classified by domestic made or imported one. The domestic made lens can be further classified as one made of domestic materials and one made of imported materials. There are significant differences in price, effect, and service life among these different products. Then you can choose the most suitable one depending on your specific conditions.

Another factor to be considered is the cooling and radiating equipment. Most of fiber laser marking machine adopts air-cooling type, with few problems caused. The quality and wind speed of the radiating fans should also be taken into consideration. Think about what kind of laser device is most suitable for you, it may not be the most expensive one or the one of big brand, but it should fit every need you have. How to determine which kind of laser device is the most suitable one for you, think about the following four factors: a. your processing requirements; b. the material; c. product requirements; d. size of product to be processed. But the shortest way to determine is to focus on its brand.

After the laser device, the second important part of a fiber laser machine is its galvanometer.

The key parts of a fiber laser-marking machine include its laser marking control system and laser marking head. We can say that, the development of the laser marking machine can be seen from the development of laser marking control system and laser marking head. Since the year of 1995, the laser marking machine evolves from large size times, rotating mirror times to galvanometer times, and the control method also evolves from direct control by software, upper and lower computer control to real-time processing, time division multiplex access. Nowadays, the innovation and development of semiconductor laser machine, fiber laser machine and even the UV laser machine raise new challenges to the optical process control-galvanometer type laser marking head (galvanometer scanning system) is the latest product. In 1998, the new era of wide application of galvanometer scanning system in China came. Galvanometer is also known as ampere meter. As it is totally designed by the way to design the ampere meter, the difference is: the needle of ampere meter is replaced by lens; and the signal of probe is replaced by -5V—5V or -10V－+10V DC signal that controlled by computer, so as to complete the preset action. Same with the rotating type scanning system, this kind of classical control system adopts a pair of mirror lens. The difference lies in: the stepping motor driving this set of lens is replaced by the servo motor, and the application of position sensor and negative feedback circuit further secure the accuracy of system. The whole system reaches a new level in scanning speed and repeated positioning accuracy.

In the galvanometer scanning system, it may adopt vector graphs and texts. In the system, it adopts the processing method by graph software in the computer, which is efficient, precision, and undistorted, greatly improving the quality and speed of laser marking machine. Meanwhile, the galvanometer marking can also be done by dotted matrix marking method, which is quite suitable for online marking and can mark more dot information compared with the above array type marking by using one or two scanning galvanometer, thus it has greater advantage in marking Chinese characters.

The galvanometer scanning marking technology supports vector marking and dotted marking, the marking scope is adjustable, and the response speed as well as the marking speed are high (domestic made machine can mark hundreds of characters per second), with higher marking quality, excellent optical path sealing performance and strong environment adaptability.

So, we have learnt that the core accessories such as laser device and galvanometer are important reference indicators to select a fiber laser marking machine. What about other accessories? We all know that there are also many other accessories such as: power supply, air box, metal plate cabinet, IPC, lens, machining tool, data line or even a screw. All of them are different in quality and price. Secondly, the difference in level of debugging technology and services should also be considered when you selecting a machine.

After determining the configuration of a machine that best fits our needs, we should consider the stability and reliability of the product in the overall operating environment. Finally, we should consider the manufacturer, which is also very critical to a product. So, when we think about the manufacturer, what factors should we consider?

First of all, the manufacturer should have its plant, so that you can make sure that you can get the firsthand high quality goods and the first price. Secondly, the manufacturer should be stable in production and punctual. Their production line should be able to supply goods stably, so that the goods can be shipped on time. Thirdly, the after-sales service: once there is any problem on the machine, you can find the manufacturer to solve problems, which requires the manufacturer to provide sound after-sales service. You will have nothing to worry after buying it. Fourthly, invoice and qualification certification- if a manufacturer has the ability to provide invoice and product certification and other paper certificates, this manifests that this is a manufacturer not bad. All the above problems will not be problems any more.

If necessary, you may check the company’s official website, check its basic information and news modules. You may determine if the manufacturer has any successful deal by checking the news about its shipments of super-thin light box. If a manufacturer can meet the above requirements, then it is surely a regular manufacturer. Then you can feel comfortable and free to buy and use.

In addition, what you have to consider include: the timeliness of accessory supply and cost performance of equipment. In fact, the above points should be considered in combination with the selection of manufacturer. The price of fiber laser marking device varies much, the highest one can be more than one hundred thousand RMB while the lowest one can be down to twenty or thirty thousand, which confuses consumers. At this time, you should follow the principle that “you got what you paid for”. It is not rational to choose a product with too low price as it is impossible to have a good product with low price. It is against the market rule to have high configuration at low price. While it is also unnecessary to have an expensive product that has more functions or better quality than you need. In a word, high cost performance is the best choice.

Currently there are fiber laser marking machine, UV laser marking machine, 3D laser marking machine, flight laser marking machine, CO2 laser marking machine etc.. Compared with the above products, what outstanding advantages does a fiber laser marking machine have? Here are ten advantages we summarizes for you:

  1.It is suitable for most of metal and non-metal materials.

  2.Laser processing cause no mechanical crash or stress on materials, or tool wear or pollution. 

  3. The laser beam is thin, with little consumption of materials processed.

  4. It has no X-ray and will not be interfered by electric field or magnetic field.

  5. It is simple to operate and it can realize automatic processing at high speed and high efficiency.

  6. Operator can observe or monitor the conditions of surface processed through microscope or camera system.   7. It can penetrate transparent substances (such as quartz, glass) and then process their internal parts. 

  8. It can assemble beams to the internal surface or inclined surface by prism or reflector system. 

  9. It can mark bar code, figures, characters and patterns. 

  10. The line width of such marks can be small to 12mm, and 10mm deep below. It can mark on “mm” size parts.

From the above information we know that, fiber laser marking machine has a bright market prospect and large potential to be explored and developed. To open the market and get a wider development space, every enterprise engaging in fiber laser making machine business should put emphasis on the product quality, after-sales services, solve problems for customers. In this way, enterprises can make profits from this business.

Rising star in laser marking industry

OREELASER is a high-tech enterprise integrating professional R&D, production and selling, dedicating in the R&D, production and selling of a series of products: fiber laser cutting machine, laser engraver, laser marker. The currently developed fiber laser marking machine include: R-P, R-T, R-H.

R-P is a full-closed fiber marking machine, featuring the following functions: automatic focal length control, one key to intelligent marking; automatic lift door, European standard of protection, beautiful appearance and reliable quality; flexible variable text, image processing (Grayscale, White/Black Transformations); more convenient IO operations and more easier to harmonize the auxiliary equipment; an opening language supporting system makes it easy to run the software in various platform.

R-H is a mini fiber marking machine, which has the following features: unique and ingenious design: which is portable and separable; smaller and lighter, large flat marking and could marking everywhere; support light path with safety; separable working table, putting object easily; users can design their graphics freely; support various types of fonts, such as TrueType, SHX, JSF (Single line font defined by EzCad2), DMF (Dot Matrix Font), One-Dimensional bar code, and so on); flexible variable text: which changes the text real time in laser processing. Excel datasheet is supported; powerful hatching functions, such as support round hatch; more convenient IO operations and more easier to harmonize the auxiliary equipment; support dynamic focus (3 axis processing system); support directly the SPI G3 fiber laser and the newest IPG_YLP and IPG_YLPM fiber laser.

R-T is a desk table fiber marking machine, which has the following features: onekey to intelligent marking; flexible variable text: changes the text real time while in laser processing; Can through the serial port or network direct read text data; strong node editing function make the curve modification more easier; image processing (Grayscale, White/black transformations); powerful hatching functions, such as support round hatch; more convenient IO operations and more easier to harmonize the auxiliary equipment; support the dynamic focus (3 axis processing system); an opening language supporting system makes it easy to run the software in various language platforms. 

From the above parameters, we can see that, the full-closed fiber-marking machine provides you more security in processing, R-H provides you more convenience as it is portable and separable, while R-T provides you higher precision and stability. You may decide the final one depending on what you need.

OREELASER has a strict quality control system throughout its production line, every part of the machine, even every part of the machine, even one screw, OREELASER will strictly control and eliminate any non-standard parts into the factory to ensure the performance and quality of each machine. In addition, OREELASER will provide every customer with hassle-free after-sales service. If you are interested in it, welcome visit our website to get more information!

Professional Laser Cutting Machine Manufacturer - OreeLaser