UV Lasers Solve a Problem with Micro-Character Marking

The marking of tiny characters on electronic components has long been a headache for manufacturers, with traditional processes resulting in blurred and easily peeled-off characters.Ultraviolet lasers use high-precision cold-processing techniques to make clear, permanent markings on an area of less than 0.2 mm, solving the problem of tracing components.It describes the actual applications and advantages of UV laser marking.

Why is it necessary to mark semiconductor components with microlabels?

We all know that electronic components are getting smaller and smaller, and that parts such as chips and resistors are often smaller than a grain of rice.But the little critters have to be marked with the model number, batch number, and QR code.Two problems have long plagued traditional ink printing: first, if the characters are too small they will blur together, and second, they can wear off over time, making it difficult to trace the origins of a product.

How ultraviolet lasers are used for micro-engraving.

It's precise to within a fraction of a hair's width.

The wavelength of ultraviolet light is only 355 nanometers, and the focused beam can be controlled to within 20 microns.For example, on a 0603 chip capacitor (1.6 mm × 0.8 mm), the laser can write characters 0.15 mm wide, with clear lines and sharp edges.

Cold processing techniques that do not harm the components.

Unlike fiber lasers, which heat up, UV lasers directly vaporize the surface layer of the material by means of a photochemical reaction.Last year, one of our clients who makes sensor housings told us that they were able to mark through a 0.3-mm layer of gold plating without damaging the underlying plastic substrate. As a result, their yield rate went up from 82 % to 98 %.

The hard-core effect that never fades.

We've done accelerated aging tests, where we put the marked parts in an alkaline solution for 48 hours, and then sand them 200 times.The result is that the markings are at least 15 μm deep, which fully meets the ten-year warranty requirement for automotive electronics.

Which scenes are especially suitable for ultraviolet laser engraving?

• Micro QR code traceability on mobile phone circuit boards.

• The serial number markings on the surface of medical tubes.

• Anti-counterfeit marks for aerospace connectors.

Last week a friend who makes smart watches said that after switching to ultraviolet equipment, he no longer has to worry about the logo on the watch band cracking.

Three practical considerations in selecting equipment.

Don't just look at the power rating.

The key is beam quality (M² value). With the same 3-watt power, a machine with an M² value under 1.1 can boost marking efficiency by 40 %.Once a customer bought a cheap machine, and the result was that the labeling was so slow the production line got clogged up.

The stage is more important than you think.

In particular, when processing FPC flexible circuit boards, the ceramic platform with vacuum suction can prevent the material from warping.One manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles, after switching to the new platform, found that the accuracy of its positioning system was stable at ± 5 μm.

Software compatibility has to be tested.

Don't trust the "supports all formats" advertisements, but test the machine with your own files.Last year we had a case where a certain brand of equipment claimed to support DXF files, but when the customer tried to import the files, the layers were missing. Finally we had to rewrite the conversion program.