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| Here are some of the best reasons for laser marking, with very short
explanations: |
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 Unique ID: Lasers have the ability
to change the data marked each time they fire. This means that a laser
can make absolutely unique ID
numbers on materials as they go down the production line. Some laser
vendor’s software does this automatically, or Exatron can feed
numbers to the system. Some customers provide pre-set lists of serial
numbers for use in the system. |
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 Data collection possibilities: A corollary to the idea of a Unique
ID, laser marked products can be traced thanks to their unique ID. If
a product is laser marked at the outset of the manufacturing process,
every step along the way can be tied to that piece – which machine,
what operator, what material was added, etc. Manufacturers can implement
the ultimate data tracking system and have total traceability of every
part they manufacture. |
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 Permanence: On most materials, the laser mark is entirely permanent
absent being ground off. The principal exception to this is annealing
on steel, which will disappear under certain extreme temperature conditions.
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 Fine writing: With it’s very small beam, the laser can write
much smaller characters and form much smaller symbols than any other
marking process. If you have a lot to say on a part, this is the way
to do it. Exatron has made readable characters on certain materials
down to .2mm high, although it is highly material dependent. Readable
data matrix codes as small as 1mm square can be written on certain materials. |
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 2D Matrix: While other marking methods can make 2D Matrix codes,
the laser is the best way to do it on most materials. If you want to
take advantage of the superior bar code technology available today,
lasers are the way to implement it. |
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| No consumables: Lasers have no consumables to speak of. No label
stock, no ink, no nothing. In addition to being a cost savings, there
are fewer things to go wrong with a laser. No ink can spill on the floor
and in the machine. No label can be applied and then fall off. |
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