Copper is a material which is very difficult to mark, but using a fiber laser can be marked with a very high contrast. Manufacturers are greatly interested in this process, looking for new methods and finishes to provide product customization.
The challenge with processing copper is the materials high reflective, therefore high peak power is required to ensure enough radiation is absorbed to process the material. Using fiber laser, the first pass uses high peak power and pulse energy to create a base for the second pass. The second pass then uses a variety of pulse duration, scanning speeds and pulse repetition frequencies to produce marks in a range of finishes.
The flexibility of the fiber laser allows pulse duration and frequency to be changed on the fly. So the second pass can take place immediately after the first. Scanning speed is very high for this process, so the total processing time is short, about 8 seconds for all the presented text. This speed however depends on the shade of mark desired.
