Laser Marking and 3D Imaging of Aluminum Products

Abstract

Most industrial products have (challenging) 3D shapes, many of them require traceability and individual marking. Although some laser marking systems on the market have 3D capabilities, they require the 3D shape to be loaded in the laser controller and the part to be precisely located. However, many industrial processes requiring direct part identification cannot fulfill those precise positioning requirements. To overcome these limitations, a 3D laser marker with integrated 3D imaging system was developed. This imaging system obtains the 3D image of the piece, and then the laser controller starts the marking process so that the focus fits on the part surface. The whole 3D data acquisition and transfer takes less than 3 s. This solves the problem of part positioning and simplifies the integration, while also providing 3D data of the surface that can be used for quality control.