Laser Engraving
Cast Iron
Laser engraving cast iron is most commonly achieved by annealing, a process where the laser heats the surface of the metal to form an oxide layer. The colour change in laser annealing is caused by a chemical change in the surface of the metal, meaning that no material is vaporised or removed from the cast iron surface. Crack propagation is an especially significant concern for cast iron, and iron laser engraving is an excellent option for creating permanent marks on cast iron without compromising its physical integrity.
Practicalities
to make processes easy
Laser marking cast iron is an incredibly accurate and reliable technology that can create highly detailed marks with consistent quality. An iron laser engraver can create marks, such as barcodes and QR codes, that are legible enough to be machine-readable.
By using multiple passes of a laser engraver, codes can be cleaned up for enhanced quality and contrast. With automated laser parameters, the hue of marks made by iron laser engraving can be varied from light grey to rich black. Being an automated process also gives iron laser marking the benefit of being repeatable, a desirable quality for producing consistent traceability marks on a high volume of items.
Industrial Applications
Cast iron is an iron alloy that contains 2 to 4 percent carbon. Depending on the desired application, cast iron can also have a varying proportion of silica and manganese, plus trace amounts of sulphur and phosphorous. Cast iron is very commonly found in cookware, such as pans, griddles, and waffle irons due to its ability to provide even heating. It has also been used for construction and architecture and was actually used in a lot of bridges and railways before steel eventually replaced it as a common construction material. Nowadays, architectural use of cast iron is often limited to design elements such as garden features and ornamental objects.
Engineering
Laser marking cast iron is an incredibly accurate and reliable technology that can create highly detailed marks with consistent quality. An iron laser engraver can create marks, such as barcodes and QR codes, that are legible enough to be machine-readable.
By using multiple passes of a laser engraver, codes can be cleaned up for enhanced quality and contrast. With automated laser parameters, the hue of marks made by iron laser engraving can be varied from light grey to rich black. Being an automated process also gives iron laser marking the benefit of being repeatable, a desirable quality for producing consistent traceability marks on a high volume of items.
Everything you need, mobile.
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.
handheld
hold the future
With a powerful fiber laser source, the N-Lase handheld laser engraver can easily mark metals, plastics, anodised or coated materials and a plethora of other substrates in seconds. The handheld option allows the delivery system to be moved to the part to be marked.
