Technology description
Anodic printing
Anodic printing is a technology that combines the advantages of anodic anodizing as a way to protect the surface of aluminium and its alloys and digital printing. This technology to some extent displaces screen printing for jobs where there is a small number of identical prints, or piece production of different labels with unique text such as production labels, type labels, instrument labels, etc., because it eliminates the need for screen production and thus significantly reduces the cost and speed of production. If needed we can print very complex graphics without any limitation on the number of colors except the absence of white.
The principle of anodic printing is full-colour digital printing on a special porous aluminium sheet, which is produced by interrupting the anodisation process and treating it with a special bath to ensure that the pores of the aluminium remain open before printing and subsequent full-colour printing. The result is a printed sheet that must be placed in a finishing bath to help seal the printing ink under the aluminium oxide layer. This layer is clear and has great chemical and mechanical resistance.
Labels produced in this way are significantly more scratch resistant than UV printing, can be cleaned with solvents in case of ink splashes and have good heat resistance to over 300°C. The aluminium oxide layer is unfortunately not 100% UV protection for the printing ink, so the ink is stable for about 1 year in direct sunlight after which it will slowly start to fade, but this problem can be solved by treating the surface of the labels with an auto wax with UV protection 1-2 times a year. If the labels are placed in indirect sunlight or shade this will significantly extend the colour stability for many years. If the labels are placed indoors there is no restriction on colour stability.
We are able to combine different technologies in the production process. For example, we can print the label, but there is a legal requirement for the label to be legible if it is burned, for example in an accident or a defect, so we fill it with a fibre laser that marks the label indelibly.
We print in maximum size: 300x600mm.
Maximum sheet size: 300x1000mm
Possible corner rounding: R 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 mm
Possible hole diameters: d 1-10mm by 0.1mm
Sheet thickness: 0.8mm, commonly in stock 1mm, 2mm
Laser engraving and marking
Laser engraving is the removal/evaporation of material after contact with the laser beam. Marking means changing the colour of the surface by locally heating the material or by steaming a layer that changes the colour of the surface.
CO2 lasers can engrave almost anything, including anodized metal or otherwise painted surfaces where they can evaporate a layer of paint on the pure metal. They can only mark uncoated metals using a special paste that they bake into the surface of, for example, stainless steel or brass. Due to their wavelength, fiber lasers work well with metals that can both mark and engrave.
We use two types of lasers for label production, which differ in wavelength and application. CO2 lasers with a wavelength of 10600 nm and Fiber lasers with a wavelength of 1064 nm. With the CO2 laser we are able to engrave and cut double-layer plastics, wood, plywood, paper, rubber, plexiglass and mark aluminium, anodized surfaces, engrave glass, rubber and more.
The CO2 laser significantly expands the possibilities of production in combination with UV printing, because we are able to print, for example, two-layer plastic with full-colour graphics /logos, barcodes and QR codes/ and then cut it with the CO2 laser into any shape, or we are able to engrave two-layer plastic that has very good resistance for outdoor use and then cut it into the desired shape.
We use fiber lasers for engraving, aluminum, anodized sheet metal, stainless steel, brass. The laser can remove the metal material layer by layer, unlike the CO2 laser which can only burn away the paint or top layer of anodizing. If necessary, it is possible to indelibly fill/engrave the produced labels with, for example, Elox printing text according to the specifications.
The workshop is equipped with five CO2 lasers and two fibre lasers, but they can only engrave. The working areas and outputs are listed below.
CO2 laser
Working area:1600x1200mm – 100w
Working area: 740mmx460mm – 100w, 70w, 20w
Work surface: 110mmx110mm – 40w
Fiber laser
Working area:120mmx120mm – 30w
Working area:200mmx200mm – 80w
materials used: double-layer plastic, plexiglass/acrylic, natural aluminium, anodised aluminium, stainless steel sheet, brass sheet
