For so many businesses spanning a wide variety of industry sectors, the importance of marking parts and products with logos, barcodes, model numbers or part numbers is total. A perfect example of course is that of a manufacturer of car parts, where part numbers and the likes are both expected as standard and 100% necessary.
When it comes to actually getting these part numbers and codes on any given products, there are several ways the modern business can go about this. Unsurprisingly, perhaps the single most common and popular method of all is that of printing the necessary information onto a paper or plastic label, in order then to be affixed to the part in question. Cheap, simple and the general standard among a great many industries, but at the same time there are more brands and businesses than ever before switching to laser engraving.
So what exactly is laser engraving and why is it seen as so advantageous?
Laser Engraving – The Basics
In terms of what it is that laser engraving machines do, the process is one whereby any given information, graphics, logos and so on can be created on the surface of a wide variety of materials, with a result similar to that of engraving. The key difference however being that the laser engraving process is 100% contact-free – the surface of the material is not touched by any physical tools and nor is any ink or marking material transferred to the material. High intensity lasers are used to create a contrasting mark on the material’s surface, which can be made as deep or light as desired.
There’s an endless range of laser engraving devices and machines on the market right now, ranging from simple desktop machines suitable for smaller businesses right through to quite enormous and powerful machines that can automate a great many factory production processes. In all instances however, results are vastly superior to those of conventional marking technologies and the business may also benefit from a significant reduction in operational costs.
The Clear Advantages
Of course, making the switch to laser engraving technology having relied on more conventional approaches for some time is the kind of decision few approach lightly. Nevertheless, when and where you get to grips with the clear advantages laser engraving has over the use of standard labels and traditional ink printing, it’s the kind of switch you will never consider reversing.
Here’s an overview of just a few examples of the clear advantages of laser marking:
- No Consumables Needed – First up, laser marking technology is in no way dependent on any kind of consumables to get the job done. All you need is the machine itself and the necessary power source, which in turn means an average marking cost of $0.02 per item. Compare this to the average of around $0.08 cents for label creation and the cost difference is pretty obvious.
- Fading, Degrading – Regardless of the quality of the printing technology you use or the labels themselves, fading of ink and degradation of the labels is inevitable. This is especially true when and where the products/parts in question are to be used in heavy duty/intense environments. In the case of laser marking however, the results are quite literally permanent and extraordinarily resistant.
- Speed and Convenience – The fact that the very best laser marking devices on the market today are largely automated and computer-controlled allows for results that are not only faster, but more consistent in quality across the board. Suffice to say, this adds up to total convenience and efficiency from a business perspective – especially for those required to mark larger numbers of products/items on an on-going basis.
- Flexibility of Materials – Conventional marking and labelling approaches will always have very strict limitations with regard to exactly which materials can successfully be marked or labels applied to. With laser marking on the other hand, pretty much any material can be marked in a variety of ways with the same flawless results across the board.
- Low-Maintenance – Last but not least, maintenance requirements with regard to the very best laser marking technology on the market these days are close to zero. So not only does this mean consistently excellent performance and reliability, but also a significant reduction in the costs associated with repairing and replacing conventional printing hardware on a relatively regular basis.
While there will of course always be costs and something of a learning curve involved when making the switch to cutting edge laser marking technology, it’s a switch that guarantees the business an extraordinary array of benefits.