14 January 1999: A laser marking technology called CerMarkTM has been set up by Cerdec Corporation, the US-based manufacturer of pigments and coatings for the glass, ceramics and plastics industries, …
14 January 1999: A laser marking technology called CerMarkTM has been set up by Cerdec Corporation, the US-based manufacturer of pigments and coatings for the glass, ceramics and plastics industries, who market their products worldwide. According to a recent company report, Cerdec is convinced there is a lot of potential for laser-marking materials technology in many different industries, especially those looking for ways to mark items permanently with bar-coding, logos, serial numbers and other information. It will be using laser marking compounds combined with the power and speed of lasers to mark glass, ceramics, stone, plastics, brass and other metals. Laser marking with CerMark materials fuses an indelible, permanent mark onto the surface of the object – unlike other technologies which etch the surface. The company claims that laser technology produces high-quality marks with more contrast. Another feature of the CerMark method is that it causes less stress to the surface of the object than other marking systems, an especially important factor for structural products like auto and architectural glass and tile. The glass and ceramics industries are the primary markets for the new advanced technology, which can be used for permanent marks on containers, architectural glass, TV screens, computer monitors, tumblers, dinnerware, sanitary ware, tile and other ceramic products. Some specific applications include marking bar-codes on bottles, serializing automotive windshields and tiles, marking various substrates for quality control purposes. CerMark materials for glass surfaces are currently available in black, blue, green, yellow, and bronze colours. A special glass marking material which fires clear has also been developed and successfully used on bottles and other glass containers. The company says that its development team is also working on more colourful marks including red and metallic colours.