High contrast surface marking using mixed organic pigments
AssigneeThermark, LLC
InventorPaul Wollcott Harrison
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of laser marking metals, plastics, ceramic materials, glazes, glass ceramics, and glasses of any desired form, which includes applying to the material to be marked a variable thickness layer of marking material containing energy absorbing enhancers then irradiating said layer with a laser or diode based energy source such that the radiation is directed onto said layer in accordance with the form of the marking to be applied, and using a laser or diode based energy source of a wavelength which is sufficiently absorbed by the marking material so as to create a bonding of the marking material to the surface of the workpiece at the irradiated areas.
Claims13
A thermally activated, chemically based marking method comprising the steps of:
- applying a layer of mixed organic pigment material containing an energy absorbing enhancer to a plastic substrate;
- and irradiating said layer with a radiant energy beam having a wavelength selected to excite the energy absorbing enhancer in accordance with the form of a marking to be applied, thereby forming a marking layer atop the substrate, the radiant energy beam comprising a laser beam having an energy level ranging between 1 and 30 watts, a spot size ranging between 5 and 200 microns, and a marking speed along the substrate ranging between 25 and 100 mm/sec.
A thermally activated chemically based marking method comprising the steps of:
- applying a mixed organic pigment material containing an energy absorbing enhancer to a carrier;
- placing the carrier in contact with the substrate to be marked;
- and irradiating the carrier with a radiant energy beam having a wavelength selected to excite the energy absorbing enhancer in accordance with the form of a marking to be applied, thereby forming a marking layer atop the substrate.
A thermally activated chemically based marking method comprising the steps of:
- applying a layer of mixed organic pigment material containing an energy absorbing enhancer to a substrate to be marked in the form of a marking to be applied;
- and irradiating said layer with a radiant energy beam having a wavelength selected to excite the energy absorbing enhancer, thereby forming a marking layer atop the substrate, the radiant energy beam comprising a laser beam having an energy level ranging between 1 and 30 watts and a marking speed along the substrate ranging between 25 and 1000 mm/sec.
A thermally activated chemically based marking method comprising steps of:
- applying a material comprising an energy absorbing organic pigment to a carrier;
- placing the carrier in contact with the substrate to be marked;
- and irradiating the carrier with a radiant energy beam having a wavelength selected to excite the energy absorbing enhancing component in accordance with the form of a marking to be applied, thereby forming a marking layer atop the substrate.
A thermally activated chemically-based marking method comprising steps of:
- applying a material comprising an organic pigment and an energy absorbing enhancing component to a carrier;
- placing the carrier in contact with the substrate to be marked;
- and irradiating the carrier with a radiant energy beam having a wavelength selected to excite the energy absorbing enhancing component in accordance with the form of a marking to be applied, thereby forming a marking layer atop the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.