Need Help! Laser Marking on Solid Film Lube

[Sherry Eklund]

4130 alloy steel parts finished with solid film lube. Does anyone have experience laser marking this finish with a fiber laser?

Thank you for your help.

[Kevin Gregerson]

4130 alloy steel parts finished with solid film lube. Does anyone have experience laser marking this finish with a fiber laser?

Thank you for your help.

Either want to run an HPDFO optic, fiber laser, or marking compound.

[Sherry Eklund]

Thank you for the info., Kevin. I have a 50W Epilog Fibermark and I've never lasered over Solid/Dry Film Lube. Someone once told me it cant be done with a Co2?? (too hot or something), so now I'm concerned about it. You think the Fibermark is ok?

Thanks again for posting. I'm new and I think (rather KNOW) I can learn a whole lot from all of you.

[Dave Sheldrake]

Depends on the lube type Sherry, HPDFO will provide way too high a power density for any of the lube types I'm familiar with,
Marking compound will likely degrade the lube rendering it useless.

CO2 laser will mark lubes, so will Fibers and UV lasers, it all depends on what it is and IF it can have laser radiation applied to it without breaking down.

A laser as such has no temperature, it causes temperature to by molecular vibration.

Some lubricants contains azides or chlorides, neither of which should have a laser applied to them.

cheers

Dave