Laser marking of aluminum was accomplished using a 20-watt q-switched ytterbium fiber laser with a 160 mm focal length lens. The large and small tags were both surfaces etched to create a light white mark and engraved to create a deeper, darker mark on the samples. The etched tags were processed using approximately 16 watts of power, with a frequency of 25kHz, and at a speed of 25 inches per second, resulting in cycle times of 2.28 seconds and 1.59 seconds for the large and small tags, respectively. The engraved tags were also processed at approximately 16 watts of power and a frequency of 25kHz, but at a speed of 5 inches per second, resulting in cycle times of 6.84 seconds and 4.65 seconds for the large and small tags, respectively. To create the raster and vector logos, the samples were surface etched using 15 watts of power, with a frequency of 25kHz, and at a speed of 25 inches per second. The cycle times for processing the marks were 8.87 seconds for the vector logo and 8.43 seconds for the raster logo.
