Titanium Implants: Why Are the Engravings Blurred?

Are your titanium alloy bone plates coming out of the laser marking machine with unclear markings? Learn how to adjust the three key parameters of power, speed, and frequency. Share the practical experience of marking medical devices. Help you quickly improve the clarity of the bone plate surface marking to meet the requirements of medical device traceability.

Why is the bone plate marking always so unclear?

Recently, many friends in the medical instrument industry have been asking me why, when they use a laser engraver to mark titanium alloy bone plates, the numbers and logos always seem to be blurry even though the equipment is brand new.Based on our experience visiting more than ten factories, in nine out of ten cases the problem is one of these three parameters.

The power must be just right.

The power of the laser is like the heat of a wok when cooking; if it's too low, the food won't cook properly, but if it's too high it will burn.Last week, we went to a factory in Zhejiang that makes bone plates. Their 20-watt fiber laser always left a burnt-yellow mark on the surface of the bone plates.We've reduced the power consumption from 18 watts to 14 watts, and at the same time ....

What are the consequences of excessive power?

If the power is too high, the metal surface may be instantly vaporized, and an oxidized layer will form, like "burnt crust.In particular, with alloys with a high titanium content, it is suggested that you use a test strip to determine the minimum power setting that will cut a mark without turning black.

What to do about the lack of power?

If the grooves are too shallow and easily erased, don't rush to increase the power.First check the focusing lens to see if it is dirty, or if the focal length is correct.When adjustments are indeed necessary, they should not exceed 2 watts at a time, and should be accompanied by a reduction in the speed of the laser.

Scan speed Don't be a "speed freak.

I have seen some technicians who, in order to get the job done faster, have adjusted the scanning speed to 2,000 mm / s and then said, "Faster still would be better.Actually, if the speed exceeds the threshold of the material, the time the laser beam spends at a single point is too short, like when you quickly draw a line with a pencil on a piece of paper.

Higher frequency is not necessarily better.

Many people have a misconception that if you adjust the laser frequency to 50 kilohertz, it will definitely cut deeper than 20 kilohertz.In fact, high frequency is more suitable for fine patterns, while low frequency can increase the energy of a single pulse.Last week, when I was helping a customer from Guangdong to adjust his machine, I lowered the frequency from 40 kHz to 28 kHz.

How do you find the right mix?

We suggest that everyone prepare a notebook to record the results of each adjustment in the form of a "power-speed-frequency" triplet.For example, the optimal parameters for a 3 mm thick titanium plate are 14W power, 800 mm / s speed, and 25 kHz frequency. This formula is still in use.

Don't forget these details.

After talking about the three major parameters, I want to remind you to pay attention to the work environment.Air conditioners can cause fluctuations in the temperature of the workbench, and the metal expands and contracts with the heat and cold, which affects the precision of the focus.Once at a northern factory, we found that the engravings made in the afternoon were always fuzzier than those done in the morning.