LASER MARKING &

ENGRAVING
From application to solution

Coherent Laser Seminar

San Jose, Costa Rica, June 19, 2024

Dr. Roland Mayerhofer, Product Marketing Manager

Dr. Tissa Gunaratne, Product Line Manager
Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved.
1
CONTENT

▪ Introduction: from application to solution

▪ How to select the right laser:
• Fundamentals: most important parameters for marking and engraving
• Optical configurations
• Available laser sources
▪ Laser marking processes and applications
▪ Laser micro processes and applications
▪ How to control the complete process chain?
▪ System and automation options for complete solutions

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 2

FROM APPLICATION TO SOLUTION
Laser source Optical Sub-system System
configuration,
accessories
and features

+ 2 Subsystem
1 delivered to
integrator

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STEP 1 : APPLICATION LAB

▪ Various laser systems or sub-systems for process development

▪ Comprehensive measurement equipment for process qualification

Wavelengths:
UV (355nm), VIS (517, 532nm), NIR (1030-1070nm), IR (9.35-10.6µm)
Pulse durations:
350fs - cw
Power levels:
Up to 1.5kW (IR)

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HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT LASER
FOR A SPECIFIC APPLICATION?

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NO. 1-6 IMPORTANT LASER PARAMETERS

▪ Order of importance
• Light absorption and heat input optimization:

Wavelength Pulse width

• Beam quality and optical configuration determine achievable spot size

Beam quality Beam shape

• Parameter, that help to scale throughput

Pulse repetition Laser average

rate power

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NO. 1 MOST IMPORTANT LASER PARAMETER: LASER WAVELENGTH

▪ Laser wavelength determines initial absorption in the material

Third choice UV: Fourth choice IR:
Even no absorption in VIS Typically used for organic
or smallest spot required materials

Second choice VIS: First choice NIR:

No absorption in IR or small Suitable for many
spot diameter needed materials

Nd:Vanadate
Fiber laser

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NO. 2 MOST IMPORTANT LASER PARAMETER: PULSE WIDTH
Critical pulse width

▪ Pulse width determines ablation rate and

quality in surface engraving of metals

„cold“ processing „thermal“ processing

Critical pulse duration:
100
determined by lattice heating time
90
80 Ablation rate [arb. units]
Material critical pulse duration [ps]
70 Quality [arb. units]
60
Iron 1.1 – 1.8 Ablation rate,
Quality 50
Copper 26
[arb. units] 40
Aluminium 7
30
Titanium 2.6 1 ps
20
Nickel 0.3 20 ps
10
Platinum 5
Gold 14 0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Pulse duration [ns]
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PARAMETER BEAM SHAPE: SMART PROTECT TECHNOLOGY

▪ I.e. for semiconductor devices with:

• Very thin mold compound encapsulation
• IC substrates with thin laminated solder stop layers

• Dark marking of heat spreaders

• More effective and selective thin film removal

▪ For IR, green and UV laser markers

Gaussian Profile SmartProtect Profile

d d

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PROCESSING 3-DIMENSIONAL PARTS

▪ Fast Focusing module (FFM)

• Dynamic focus shifter
• Recipe controlled focus setting
• Enables 3D free form marking
• Travel range depends on F-Theta objective

Fast Focus Module

1064nm, f-160mm: ± 4.5mm

1064nm, f-255mm: ± 12.5mm
1064nm, f-350mm: ± 24.0mm
+ 100 %
0% Focus range
- 100 %

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TYPICAL LASER TYPES FOR MARKING AND ENGRAVING

▪ Powerline E ▪ Powerline F ▪ Powerline USP

• End-pumped, solid state • Q-switched fiber laser • Ps- or fs-lasers hybrid
Nd:Vanadate lasers MOPA lasers
• Short ns-pulses at high peak • Fixed or variable pulse width • Pulse width ranging from
power at decent peak power 350 fs to 10 ps, burst mode

1,064 nm 1,070 nm 1,064 nm

532 nm 517 nm
355 nm

PowerLine E Air 25-1064 PowerLine F 20-1064 Varia PowerLine PS30

Wavelength 1,064 nm Wavelength 1,060 - 1,070 nm Wavelength 1064 nm
Average power 18 W (20 kHz) Average power 19 Average power 28 W
Frequency cw, 0 – 200 kHz Frequency 2 – 1,000 kHz Frequency 50 – 5000 kHz
Pulse width 20 ns (20 kHz) Pulse width 1.5 – 350 ns Pulse width <10 ps
2 2
Beam quality M 1.3 Beam quality M 2.0 Beam quality M2 < 1.3

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LASER MARKING PROCESSES

Annealing/black marking Ti-dioxide effect Color change, foaming

Carbonization Layer removal Engraving

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EXACTMARK 230 WITH PS30 LASER - BLACK MARKING

▪ High-contrast mark, not sensitive to angle of view

▪ Indestructible and non-corrosive marking of a broad
range of metals
▪ No fading after multiple autoclaving cycles
▪ Contamination-free sub-surface mark
▪ Minimal thermal stress extends applicability on fragile
and/or small parts
▪ No need for post processing, e.g., passivation

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CORROSION RESISTANT MARKING - BLACK MARKING
▪ Short laser pulse durations limit heat affection
▪ Diffusion of alloy elements is reduced
▪ Surface oxidation of Cr and Fe significantly reduced
▪ Formation of nano-structures due to USP laser pulses
▪ Changes in metal alloy structure minimized

Nanosecond mark Picosecond mark

Nanosecond laser marking Black-marking LIPSS (laser

after corrosion test (72h in induced periodic surface
50°C warm 5% NaCl salt- structure) under SEM
water spray test)
14

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CORROSION RESISTANT MARKING - USP BLACK MARKING

Salt spray test Passivation Autoclaving

35x

1.4021 / AISI 420

50x

1.4301 / AISI 304

72h in 50°C warm 5% 7% Citrisurf 2250, Steam, >120 °C,

NaCl salt-water spray test 20 min @ 50°C 60 min

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MARKING OF GLASS AND POLYMERS W/ UV NS-LASERS

▪ Permanent, direct part marks are mandatory for tracking and traceability.
▪ Increases patient safety, enhances quality control, improves counterfeit safety

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MULTI-SIDE MARKING

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MARKING BY ENGRAVING

Nanosecond Picosecond Femtosecond

Post processing mandatory due Only slight cleaning required, No post processing or cleaning
to the high amount of debris. rougher surface structures required, least amount of
Discoloration visible due to the within the marking. discoloration.
heat impact.

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MARKING BY ENGRAVING – SMALLEST FEATURES

▪ Security features, DMC and traceability marks on various materials (anti-counterfeiting)

Very small codes with cell sizes down

to ~5µm can be marked on various
materials like metal or glass.

Codes can be marked on glass to be

close to invisiblility with bare eye but
still readable.

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APPLICATION MATRIX – LASER MARKING
 = 1,064 nm  = 532 nm  = 355 nm

PL F 50 Varia
PL F 20 Varia

PL E 25 SHG

PL E 20 THG
PL E 12 QS
PL E Air 10

PL E Air 25

PL E 6 QS
PL PS 30

PL E 30 QT
PL F 100
PL F 20

PL F 30

PL F 50
Plastic Marking
⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
(Carbonization)
Plastic Marking (Foaming) ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Plastic Marking (Bleaching) ⚫ ⚫
PEEK, PA 6, Nylon ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Day and Night Design ⚫ ⚫
Metal Marking & Engraving ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Copper Marking ⚫
Annealing Marking ⚫ ⚫
USP Black Marking ⚫
Glass Marking ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. Rough guideline only – application test recommended 20
LASER MICRO PROCESSING APPLICATIONS

Cleaning Coating removal Glass filamentation

Surface structuring Multipass - drilling Multipass - cutting

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SURFACE CLEANING AND STRUCTURING

▪ Laser ablation of coatings

• Paint or organic contaminations
• Residual material from molding processes
▪ Laser pre-treatment for adhesion improvement
• Removal of contaminants (grease, oil, …)
• Nano-structuring of metals for improved joining
properties with organic materials

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 SURFACE STRUCTURING JOINT IMPLANTS Hip Implant

Thermal Spray Area

▪ Replace Media Blast for Improved Thermal Spray Coat

Adhesion
• No masking
• Reduce handling damage
• Consistent control USP 1 USP 2 Sandblasted

• Minimal strength impact

• Improved coating adhesion

▪ Functionalize Surface
• Promote bone growth
• Anti-bacterial
• Modified surface chemistry
USP processed samples promote bone growth

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MULTI-PASS CUTTING OF POLYMER COATINGS ON MEDICAL IMPLANTS AND DEVICES

▪ Some medical implants or devices have got a polymer coating or shrink tubing applied to the
metal structure
▪ This coating/shrink tube needs to be cut precisely at specific locations in relation to the strut
layout

▪ Two different Coherent solutions available for such an

application, using 30W CO2 laser (10.6 µm) or fs-Laser SHG (517 nm)
▪ Vision and pattern recognition sytem required

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APPLICATION MATRIX – LASER MICRO PROCESSING
 = 10,6 µm  = 1,064 nm  = 532 nm  = 355 nm

PL F 50 Var
PL F 20 Var

PL E 12 QS
PL E Air 10
PL E Air 25

PL E 6 QS
Monaco fs-

Monaco fs-
PL PS 30

PL E 30 QT
PL F 100

PL E 25

PL E 20
PL F 50
PL F 20
PL F 30

subsist.

subsist.
PL C30

SHG

THG
Deep engraving ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Polyimide
⚫ ⚫ ⚫
cutting/drilling
Polymer
⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
cutting/drilling
Coating ablation ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Metal surface
⚫ ⚫ ⚫
structuring
Polymer structuring ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Tools surface
⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
cleaning
Thin film ablation ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Ceramic structuring ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫
Glass polishing ⚫
Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. Rough guideline only – application test recommended 25
APPLICATION CONFIGURATION DONE

-> NEXT STEP IS TO LOOK AT THE COMPLETE PROCESS CHAIN

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CONTROL THE LASER PROCESS AT VARIOUS STAGES

Pre-process In-process monitoring and Post-process Regular system

control control control control
OK / OK /
NOK NOK

Variable Data output, Data storage

data input report and analysis

Plausibility
//
Time
check

-> Needs a system software to let the process developer or operator set this sequence up in an intuitive way

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 6

LASER FRAMEWORK SOFTWARE: SETTING UP AN APPLICATION

▪ The Recipe – is the center point of the new LFW concept and allows the process developer to
create a sequence of process steps, that are necessary to fulfill a specific laser application.

▪ The Process step – allows setting

parameters for the individual steps
of a recipe, for example:
• laser parameter
• Galvo scanner layout or CNC program
• variables
• vision tasks
• machine I/Os
• data exchange options
• etc.

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LASER FRAMEWORK SOFTWARE: GENERATE A RECIPE

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LASER FRAMEWORK SOFTWARE: EXECUTING AN APPLICATION

▪ The Job – contains all necessary information for the execution of a certain laser
processing application. A job includes a recipe and additional data, like number of
executions or input variables. Each job has got a unique number assigned, that can also
be selected or called by external I/Os.

Job list with layout preview

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CONTROL THE LASER PROCESS: PRE-PROCESS CONTROL
Pre-process In-process monitoring and Post-process Regular system
control control control control
OK /
NOK

Variable Data output, Data storage

data input report and analysis

Plausibility
//
Time
check

• Visual sensing: • Weld depth monitoring (OCT) • Weld geometry and alignment • Laser power validation
• Part fit • Diode-based monitoring • Visual process quality (w/ or and regulation
• Weld gap detection • Acoustic monitoring w/o AI and machine learning) • Beam quality check
• Part position •
• Pyrometer-based laser power • Marking code verification System utilization
• Correct parts?
control • Thermography of the cool- • System-to-system
• Part geometry
• Fixture sensing • Thermal imaging down process equalization
• … • Height sensing • Acoustic emissions • …
• Path deviations • …
• …

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 31

PARTVISION – PACKAGES
Vision and pattern recognition packages for all PowerLine Marking Sub-systems and Systems

BASIC ADVANCED ADVANCED +

Consisting of hardware and software features:

▪ Vision Cube
▪ Camera
▪ LED Illumination and controller (Advanced)
▪ Illumination adapted scanner mirrors
▪ Pre-assigned Laser FrameWork vision tasks (license-controlled)

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 32

LASER FRAMEWORK SOFTWARE: DEFINE A VISION TASK

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PRE-PROCESS CONTROL OPTIONS

▪ 3D part geometry shape detection w/ line scan camera and x/z-axes

• Precise distance measurement​
• Captures point cloud of object surface
• Accurate detection of workpiece geometry and position​
• Automatic position adjustment of marking layout

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 34

PRE-PROCESS CONTROL OPTIONS

▪ Autofocus from image sharpness value

• For TTL camera calibration
• For process developer
• For automatic vision task *requires LFW controlled z axis
** FoV = Field of View

Out of focus: blurry, live FoV** In Focus: sharp, crisp live FoV**
Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 35
PRE-PROCESS CONTROL OPTIONS

▪ Autofocus from image sharpness value

• For TTL calibration
• For process developer
• For automatic vision task

Video

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CONTROL THE LASER PROCESS: POST-PROCESS CONTROL
Pre-process In-process monitoring and Post-process Regular system
control control control control
OK /
NOK

Variable Data output, Data storage

data input report and analysis

Plausibility
//
Time
check

• Visual sensing: • Weld depth monitoring (OCT) • Weld geometry and alignment • Laser power validation
• Part fit • Diode-based monitoring • Visual process quality (w/ or and regulation
• Weld gap detection • Acoustic monitoring w/o AI and machine learning) • Beam quality check
• Part position •
• Pyrometer-based laser power • Marking code verification System utilization
• Correct parts?
control • Thermography of the cool- • System-to-system
• Part geometry
• Fixture sensing • Thermal imaging down process equalization
• … • Height sensing • Acoustic emissions • …
• Path deviations • …
• …

Copyright 2024, Coherent. All rights reserved. 37

POST-PROCESS CONTROL OPTIONS

▪ Vision: code verification ▪ Vision: OCR

▪ Log code reading results according to ISO ▪ Check lasered clear text marking content
standards or print a report

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CONTROL THE LASER PROCESS WITH LASER FRAMEWORK
Pre-process In-process monitoring and Post-process Regular system
control control control control
OK / OK /
NOK NOK

Variable Data output, Data storage

data input report and analysis

Plausibility
//
Time
check

PartVision SmartSense+ PartVision System monitoring

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MARKING PROCESS – VIDEO

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SYSTEM AND AUTOMATION
OPTIONS 2

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STANDARD SYSTEMS FOR MARKING AND ENGRAVING

EasyMark, ExactMark 210 ExactMark 230 USP CombiLine XL CombiLine RT800 LabelMarker AP 530
EasyMark XL ExactMark 210 TL/R ExactMark 230 WT CombiLine RT1000 (dedicated 3d
micro processing
system with
internal robot)

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AUTOMATED SYSTEMS - BASED ON UW180 PLATFORM
Advantages

Automation

Human
• High Degree of Automation Productivity
• Part Verification and
• Better Utilization of Assets Sorting
• Lower Cycle Time • Minimize Operator Fatigue &
• Longer Unattended Operation • Data Logging /
• Higher Throughput Compliance Value
• Eliminate/Minimize Human Creation
Throughput Error Compliance

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AUTOMATION AND PROCESS CONTROL: MARKING

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AUTOMATION AND PROCESS CONTROL: MARKING

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AUTOMATION AND PROCESS CONTROL: MARKING AND TEXTURING

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AUTOMATION AND PROCESS CONTROL: MARKING

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