3 min read

Laser Marking in the Aerospace industry

Featured Image

Traceability, accountability and part identification are of the utmost importance within the aerospace industry, laser marking these parts provide a clear, legible and permanent mark that allows for the highest precision.

The aerospace industry is highly sensitive and the use of the wrong parts can easily end in disaster, meaning that it is vital that every part fitted to an aircraft is marked. The industry requires the parts to be traced back to origin if required or the need for a replacement part requires the replacement of that exact part number.

 

It is not just traceability of parts that require engraving, there is a wide variety of reasons, safety marks, information reasons or even branding of individual parts. These marks are required to be of the highest quality and precision that are repeatable every single time for uniformity. The diverse nature of fiber lasers means that they are able to mark on a variety of materials and can provide marks that are both readable to humans and machines.

men-mechanics-is-working-inside-the-airplane-2021-09-03-21-02-41-utc
 

Using an N-Lase Fiber Laser Marking System allows the satisfaction of all of these needs on virtually everything in a flight-capable machine, from turbine blades, wires, switches, wings, flap components to landing gears. To keep up with the growth in the aviation industry more and more of these parts are being manufactured on an annual basis.

Laser technology allows the rapid marking of these parts relatively easily, just requiring the power to run the laser, marking hundreds of characters a second to any surface. Alternative methods like chemical etching often requires the disposal of chemical byproducts and result in costly consultancy and disposal fees. Ink marking on these parts may not be able to withstand the harsh environments that these parts endure, in contrast to laser marking which can withstand the heat of an exhaust system in a fighter jet and the vacuum of space.

 
airplane-engine-disassembled-open-hood-in-the-avia-2021-09-03-21-03-02-utc

As safety is paramount in the aviation industry, manufacturers are always trying to stay ahead of the curve in terms of legislation. As the shift appears to be currently taking place to laser marking parts, it would only be natural that it may become a legal requirement further down the line. Manufacturers have identified that the most reliable technology for part marking is laser and already seem to have a considerable competitive advantage in the marketplace when a component they manufacture is approved for laser marking.

Needham Laser Technologies already works with a number of aviation and aerospace part manufacturers and has built lifelong partnerships with these companies to ensure that they stay ahead of the manufacturing curve.

Contact our team today:

Call 📞 +44(0)1948 660011
Email 📧 info@needhamlaser.com

Made in Britain Laser