Laser marking patent granted

17 Jun 2002

TherMark Coporation in the US has bee granted a laser marking technology patent which it claims promises to revolutionize product identification methods currently in use by most major manufacturing industries.

The TherMark technology is a method of quickly and cost effectively producing permanent high contrast marks on virtually any hard surface material such as glass, ceramic, metal or plastic - without any structural damage to the part surface.

Most manufacturers using Direct Part Marking (DPM) processes such as etching, embossing or engraving must deal with the problem of altering or damaging the surface of the part.

The TherMark technology is different. It uses lasers to bond proprietary marking materials onto the part surface without causing the usual thermal damage associated with the high temperatures created by the laser energy. It uses Nd:YAG, YVO4, CO2 or fibre lasers to fuse proprietary materials to the surface. It is especially useful for brittle materials which cannot withstand the shock of conventional laser marking methods and for very hard metal surfaces that resist other marking techniques.

TherMark Corporation Founder and CEO, Paul Harrison is convinced that this new technology is the way of the future, especially since ISO 9000 and other industry and government regulations are beginning to mandate DPM. "We believe that the TherMark technology will have the same impact on industrial marking and decoration today, that xerography had on office copies fifty years ago."