Laser marking of the stainless steel tags was accomplished using the 20-watt q-switched ytterbium fiber laser, along with a 160 mm focal length lens. The tags marked with an annealed surface mark to create a darker mark. In order to get the sample darker without increasing the cycle time, the amount of fill that was used to mark the logo was significantly reduced.
Two types of fonts were used one being bolder than the other. Both types of marks shared the same cycle time with-in a fraction of a second. The bolder font was marked using less passes. The cycle time for the marks was 29.67 seconds. The cycle time includes everything on the tag including the customer logo along with all variable information marked.