Marking of an anodized layer of an aluminium object
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorKeng Kit Yeo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A marking (3 to 5) is provided in a surface (8) of an element (1) which comprises a substrate (6) of aluminum or an alloy thereof and an anodized outer layer (7) in that a region (10) of the surface (8) is irradiated with a laser beam such that at least one visual property of the surface (8) in said region (10) is changed and a visual marking (3 to 5) is obtained which is observable to the human eye. The laser beam penetrates the anodized outer layer (7) at least to a major degree and induces the change in the at least one visual property substantially locally only in a zone (9) where the anodized outer layer (7) adjoins the substrate (6).
Claims12
A method of providing a marking (3 to 5) in a surface (8) of an element (1) which comprises a substrate (6) of aluminum or an alloy thereof and having an anodized outer layer (7), which method comprises the irradiation of a region (10) of said surface (8) with a laser beam such that at least one visual property of said surface (8) in said region (10) changes and a visual marking (3 to 5) observable to the human eye is obtained, characterized in that said laser beam penetrates said anodized outer layer (7) at least to a major degree and induces said change in said at least one visual property substantially exclusively locally in a zone (9) in which said anodized outer layer (7) adjoins said substrate (6).
A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said laser beam is a pulsating laser beam.
A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein material in said local zone (9) is made to melt and to solidify again, whereby a change in the roughness of a boundary (11) between said outer layer (7) and said substrate (6) is brought about.
A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein cavities (12) are formed in said zone (9).
A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein material is locally heated in said zone (9) and at least partly assumes a different structure.
An element comprising a substrate (6) of aluminum or an alloy thereof and having an anodized outer layer (7) which forms a surface (8) of the element (1), while a region (10) of said surface (8) has at least one visual property which differs from the corresponding visual property of adjoining portions of said surface (8) and forms visual marking (3 to 5) which is observable to the human eye, characterized in that said element (1) exhibits said change in said at least one visual property substantially exclusively locally in a zone (9) in which said anodized outer layer (7) adjoins said substrate (6).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.