Copper is one of the few metals that is directly usable in its natural form, or without being combined into alloys. It is characterised by having a very high thermal and electrical conductivity, making it a valuable material in electrical wiring, printed circuit boards, thermocouples, heat exchangers, electromagnets, and electric motors.
Copper is a naturally soft and malleable metal that can be fashioned into pipes and pipe fittings, or as architectural elements. The green patina that the metal develops after a long period of atmospheric exposure is a particularly coveted finish by architects and designers due to its visual appeal.
Laser engraving copper is particularly challenging because of the high reflectivity of the material. In fact, a solid surface made of pure copper will reflect more than 95% of incident near-IR radiation. As with stainless steel, a fiber laser is generally preferred over a CO2 laser when laser engraving copper or to produce laser cut copper. A fiber laser has a wavelength of around 1.07 µm, around 10x smaller than the wavelength of a CO2 laser. Not only will a fiber laser be reflected less than a CO2 laser, but the smaller wavelength allows for a greater power density which makes it easier to penetrate the copper surface.
PCB & Electronics
In the manufacturing of electronics, laser etching has been used to create customised process control boards or PCBs.
Laser etching technology allows custom PCBs to be manufactured rapidly and with pinpoint accuracy. In terms of speed, accuracy, and cost, laser etching trumps all other methods of PCB manufacturing.
Aside from executing PCB designs, a PCB laser etching machine can also be used to mark various electrical components made from copper with critical information such as barcodes, part numbers, 2D and UID codes, QR codes, serial numbers, batch numbers, logos, and business information.
These marks allow manufacturers to improve traceability, identify specific electrical components during warranty claims and enforce trademark protection.
MARKING AT LIGHT SPEED
The 3-side door lifts open giving you wider access to mark larger parts and components. If you’re looking to mark stainless-steel tubes, exhaust pipes or other over-sized items – the U-shaped opening makes it incredibly simple to place the part within the machine and start marking.