Marking and engraving steel, Technomark engraving machine

Steel applications

Marking and engraving on steel

Steel is a very common metal alloy with a base of iron and some carbon. It is the carbon content, however low, that gives it its properties. Steel is produced according to need, and its composition enables it to resist various mechanical or chemical stresses.
Technomark Marking can carry out laser and dot peen marking on steel without altering the properties of the parts. Depending on the steel alloy, marking can be done from surface engraving to deep engraving. Some steels (especially stainless steels) can also be annealed, which is a very superficial marking that can be colored.

Mechanical engraving is very common in industry. Steel is the most widely used metal in many sectorss. Numerous engraving techniques and tools have been used to mark steel for a very long time. Originally, stamps were used for industrial marking, but today’s engraving machines make it much easier and quicker to produce permanent markings, with much sharper, more precise results.

Marquage rayonnant sur bague en aluminium

RENDERING OF MARKINGS ON STEEL

Laser engraving on steel for professionals

Steel can take on many shapes and forms, and can therefore offer different surface finishes, especially with laser marking technology. Laser engraving machines are ultra-versatile, and can adapt to the many surface treatments that can be applied to steel. Whether raw steel, stainless steel, anodized steel, burnished steel or even painted steel.

Depending on how the steel surface has been treated and how you want the marking to look, different parameters can be adapted in the software of your laser engraving machine to obtain the desired result:

Annealed marking

This first marking technique consists in applying enough heat to a precise surface using the laser beam to contrast the material and produce a marking. With this type of marking, the surface of the part to be marked is unaltered and remains as smooth as before. The result is very sharp and highly contrasting, for perfect readability of the laser marking.

Surface material removal

This laser engraving process is very special and probably the most complex. The laser beam will apply a very fine material removal to remove the various coatings present on the marking surface. In the case of an anodized steel part, the thin material removal will make the steel appear rough. This type of rendering is very aesthetic and stands out thanks to the color difference (light marking on dark background).

Deep laser engraving

The principle of deep laser engraving is quite simple. Like all metal engraving, the laser source applies several passes of its beam to gradually remove several small layers until the desired depth is reached. It’s a marking that lasts over time, and is resistant to abrasion and falsification.

Dot peen marking on steel

Dot peen marking solutions are also widely used for marking on steel. This technology offers permanent, unfalsifiable marking. It’s the perfect technology for long-term part traceability. Steel, like most metals, has ideal technical properties for dot peen marking. Indeed, for a clear and precise result, the material to be marked must not exceed a hardness of 63HRC.

This technology is used on steel in a large number of sectors and part types (automotive, aeronautics, medical, food industry, etc.). Examples of applications include :

marking painted steel chassis
marking on tools and automotive parts
marking of carters
marking of pistons
engine block marking
marking of material batches
etc…

The list of applications is infinite, so engraving machine traceability became very popular.

How to mark on steel?

For marking steel, two technologies are very popular in many industries:

fiber laser engraving for fast, clean and aesthetic marking
dot peen engraving for indelible, unfalsifiable marking that lasts over time

How to choose a steel engraving machine?

To choose the right equipment, you need to define your precise requirements. First of all, what are you going to use it for? Portable marking? Stationary use on a production area? Or engraving parts on a production line?

Then you need to decide what kind of marking you want: Deep marking ? or surface marking. Do you need a very clean line? An unfalsifiable marking? Marking results will vary according to the laser source’s output power, for example. Technomark develops 20W, 30W and 50W fiber laser sources.

Finally, you need to know the variety of your applications: do you only want to mark on steel, or do you need a versatile machine capable of marking on a wide range of materials and types of marking?

What’s the difference between dot peen marking on steel and laser engraving on steel?

Dot peen marking and laser engraving are two technologies used for product traceability, identification and personalization.

The dot peen marking solution generates impact marking. In other words, a stylus is projected onto the part to be engraved, applying a mark. All the dots together form the marking, whether text, logo or Datamatrix. This technology is well-known for its effectiveness against damage and falsification of markings. In particular, it is widely used for engraving vehicle serial numbers and VIN numbers.

Fiber laser engraving is a technology that produces non-contact markings. The laser beam applies a reaction to the part to be engraved, producing a much more aesthetically pleasing marking. Indeed, the engraving precision of laser marking stations is ideal for marking logos, for example. Moreover, it is entirely possible to adapt to the desired marking result using the various parameters available in the software.