Fibre laser aims to make its mark on difficult surfaces

The TF420 fibre laser marking system provides ultra rapid component marking capability aimed at the aerospace, automotive, medical, general mechanical engineering and electronics sectors. Using next-generation components developed for the telecommunications industry, the TF420 has a marking power of up to 20 W to provide consistent, high contrast character quality on a wide range of materials and difficult surfaces, such as castings. Capable of marking at up to 2.5 m/sec the compact laser unit can be integrated in any orientation to mark metals, plastics, ceramics and many other materials. Rather than using a crystal or a gas as in YAG and CO2 lasers, the laser is created directly in a special fibre doped with the rare earth element Ytterbium. It produces a beam at the same wavelength as YAG and has similar marking functionality, but because the laser is created within the fibre it is more compact with the lightweight aluminium head measuring just 375 mm long by 139 mm wide by 202 mm high. There are fewer optical components and it requires less cooling. In fact, because the TF420 is air-cooled it is very quiet, at less than 60 dB, so no additional sound-proofing is required.