Skip to content In this Series, Lotus Laser have lent Russ a MOPA 20 watt fiber laser marker machine to “play with”. Although Russ has a moderate understanding of laser technology (his words) and how constant power glass tube systems work, pulsing fiber laser marking systems are shrouded in a deeper mystery than the glass tube machines. In this session, Russ attempts the seemingly impossible task of fiber laser marking wood.
The Fiber Laser Learning Lab Series with Russ Sadler
They have been designed for high speed marking and the technology has been well tried and proven. There are limited “tricks” that the pulsing laser technology can perform. You enter predefined parameters for each marking “trick” you wish the machine to deliver , then stand back in amazement. Most correspondents tell Russ that they have bought their machine direct from China and received a machine and EZCAD software, preloaded with a few default parameters. No other instructions beyond the EZCAD manual are forthcoming.
Russ states “I am neither a teacher or expert in this field so you join me in my learning adventure with the warning that I have a simple but inquisitive mind and will probably make mistakes on my way to discovering the truth. I WILL oversimplify and maybe distort the scientific detail in my quest to build a simple picture of why and how this technology works. I am not trying to reverse engineer anything, just to break through the seemingly impenetrable ‘techno cotton wool’ that surrounds this amazing piece of science.”
Contents
One of the common beliefs surrounding fiber laser marking, is that it does not interact / mark organic materials. In this video, Russ puts this theory to the test.
What Russ Is Testing
Russ challenges the common statement that a fibre marker cannot mark organic materials. He first tests lightweight poplar plywood, then changes the settings and repeats the experiment before trying MDF.
What Was Observed
- The first settings produce little useful surface mark and the beam energy reaches the table beneath the wood.
- After changing the process settings, Russ obtains visible marking on the plywood and then on MDF.
- The result is enough to disprove the absolute claim that 1064 nm fibre lasers can never produce a mark on wood.
What the Result Actually Tells Us
Wood generally couples far less efficiently to approximately 1064 nm light than it does to a 10.6 µm CO₂ beam, but “poor absorption” is not the same as “zero interaction”. Resin, pigments, moisture, surface contamination and sufficiently high local irradiance can create heating, carbonisation or other visible changes.
Technical Context
This is a useful demonstration, not proof that a fibre laser is a good general-purpose wood-processing tool. The process window may be narrow, contrast can vary significantly between timber species and sheet products, and energy that is not absorbed by the workpiece can continue into the bed or fixtures.
Safety Note
MDF and plywood can generate hazardous fumes and particulates when thermally processed. Use effective extraction, verify that the material is suitable for laser processing, and remember that a weakly absorbing workpiece may transmit or reflect significant near-infrared energy into the machine.
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Transcript for Let’s Try the IMPOSSIBLE – Fiber Laser Marking Wood
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Last updated April 25, 2024
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