Laser Marking: Carving Digital IDs for Everything

01 Laser Marking: How to “Engrave” Product Identity

• Ablation Marking: A high-energy-density laser beam directly vaporizes the surface layer of a material, revealing the contrasting underlying layer to form clear marks. It is widely used for deep engraving on metals, plastics, ceramics and other materials. For example, when marking logos on stainless steel knives, the laser beam vaporizes the surface oxide layer, exposing the silver metal base for high-contrast markings.
   
• Color Change Marking: By controlling laser energy density, oxidation or carbonization reactions are triggered on the material surface, altering color without damaging the material structure. This technology is particularly suitable for marking QR codes or barcodes on aluminum, titanium alloys and other metals, producing aesthetic and wear-resistant marks.
   
• Foaming/Bubble Marking: Tiny bubbles are formed inside materials like plastics and glass, with the arrangement of bubbles creating visible patterns. Commonly used for anti-counterfeiting labels on cosmetic packaging, the marks feature a three-dimensional effect and are hard to counterfeit.
   
• Micro-Nano Marking: Ultrashort pulse lasers (picosecond, femtosecond lasers) are employed to modify nanoscale structures on material surfaces, delivering ultra-high-resolution marks. For instance, micron-scale circuit patterns can be marked on chip packaging with a precision of 0.5μm.
   

02 Core Advantages: Durable, Precise and Eco-Friendly

• Permanent Readability: Marks withstand high temperatures (up to 1,200°C), corrosion (strong acid and alkali environments) and wear (hardness above HRC60), remaining legible for long periods in extreme conditions. For example, markings on oil drilling equipment must endure deep-sea high pressure and salt spray corrosion, yet laser-marked equipment numbers stay clear even after 10 years of service.
   
• High Precision and Resolution: Minimum character height reaches 0.15mm, and QR code density hits 25×25mm, meeting stringent requirements for precision electronics and medical devices. On the SIM card tray of Apple iPhones, laser-marked serial numbers are only 0.3mm tall—almost invisible to the naked eye but quickly recognizable via machine vision.
   
• Eco-Friendly and Consumable-Free: No ink or solvents are required, with zero pollutant emissions, complying with EU RoHS, REACH and other environmental regulations. A packaging printing enterprise cut ink usage by 50 tons annually and saved 2 million yuan in costs after switching to laser marking.
   
• High-Speed Integration: Marking speed reaches 12,000 characters per second, enabling synchronous operation with production lines and hundreds of pieces marked per minute. On beverage filling lines, laser markers print production dates in real time while bottle caps spin at high speeds, with an error rate below 0.01%.
   
• Data Traceability: Connecting laser marking to industrial internet platforms links each product code to production time, equipment parameters and quality inspection data, enabling full-process traceability. A dairy company traced and recalled a problematic batch within 48 hours using laser-marked QR codes, avoiding a brand crisis.
   

03 Application Scenarios: Comprehensive Penetration from Industry to Daily Life

• Electrical and Electronic Products: Serial numbers, production dates and QR codes are marked on PCBs, microchips and phone casings to enable full lifecycle traceability from raw materials to end products. The QR code laser-marked on the battery of Samsung Galaxy phones links to battery charge/discharge cycles and health status, providing data support for after-sales service.
   
• Pharmaceutical Packaging: Batch numbers, expiration dates and drug ingredients are marked on vials, syringes and IV bags to ensure medication safety. A vaccine manufacturer effectively prevented counterfeiting by using laser-marked invisible QR codes paired with special testing equipment.
   
• Automotive Components: Unique codes are assigned to key parts such as engines, transmissions and brake discs for after-sales tracking and quality analysis. Every battery module in Tesla vehicles has a laser-marked “digital ID card” that precisely identifies the production team and process parameters.
   
• Luxury Goods and Anti-Counterfeiting: Invisible and micro-code technologies are used for anti-counterfeiting verification to protect brand value. Nanoscale QR codes laser-marked on metal accessories of LV handbags can only be identified under a microscope, significantly raising counterfeiting barriers.
   
• Food Packaging: Production dates and traceability information are marked on meat and dairy packaging to comply with food safety regulations. Consumers can scan a QR code laser-marked on meat packaging to view the entire process of breeding, slaughtering and transportation.
   

04 Future Outlook: Deep Integration with the Industrial Internet

• AI-Powered Intelligent Marking: Equipped with machine vision and AI algorithms, laser markers automatically identify product surface features, dynamically adjust focal length and power, and achieve precise marking on irregular curved surfaces. For example, AI systems optimize light spot paths in real time based on wheel shapes during curved surface marking on car wheels.
   
• Blockchain + Laser Marking: Product codes are written into blockchain to ensure data tamper-proofing and build a trusted supply chain system. A diamond company laser-marked nanoscale codes on diamond girdles and linked them to blockchain, allowing consumers to verify diamond origin and quality at any time.
   
• Metamaterial Marking: Special micro-nano structures are fabricated on material surfaces via laser marking to endow materials with functionalities such as antibacterial, anti-fingerprint and anti-reflective properties. For example, laser-marked micro-nano textures on phone glass back panels enhance anti-fingerprint performance.
   
• Metaverse and NFT Marking: NFT codes are marked on physical products to bind physical goods with digital assets, opening new business models integrating the virtual and real worlds. A streetwear brand launched sneakers with laser-marked NFT QR codes, giving consumers exclusive digital collectibles upon purchase.