Laser marker "fastest in world", company claims

Keyence is claiming that its new CO2 high resolution laser marker is the world's fastest.

The Keyence ML-G9300 series can mark packaging at a speed up to 600 characters per second.

In the food, chemical and cosmetic industries, sharply reduced character blurring ensures more accurate recognition, a major advantage on high-speed lines.

The ML-G9300 can mark components at high speeds with ultra-small characters.

"The high resolution ML-G significantly increases marking definition from the conventional 15 µm down to 1µm, a major advantage with detailed fonts and small logo marking," the company stated.

The marker is maintenance-free with a life expectancy of 10 years, twice that of conventional markers, the company claimed in a press release.

The device uses Keyence WaveGuide technology. This folds the laser beam into a "Z" shape providing higher power in less space.

Increased power enables the marking of such materials as stainless steel, resin, glass, rubber and paper. The ML-G can also be used for machining purposes such as cutting resin film, boring and wire sheath cutting.

The ML-G9300 design uses a metallic hardware seal to suppress CO2 leakage thus further extending the life of the oscillator up to 10 years, the company stated.

"The result is a significant cost saving in maintenance and line stoppage," the company stated.

The marker is housed in a dust-proof structure. A barrier wall completely separates the oscillator and scanner to prevent external air and dust particles from contaminating the scanner mirror, a common cause of blurring in conventional designs.

The structure also includes EMF shielding for the entire marking head, preventing any external noise from effecting the scanner and control board.