Packaging

Laser technology is playing an increasingly important role in drug packaging and the labelling of automobile components. Paper, plastic or foam as well as other packaging materials can be labelled using laser technology. The typical characteristics of laser processing – speed and flexibility – are in high demand, especially for series production.

Lawmakers have established specific product labelling requirements for drugs. Several million drug packages are labelled using laser technology each year. Inline labelling equipment is used to identify single components such as camshafts or injection nozzles in the automotive sector. This guarantees the traceability of components, which optimises quality assurance and complaints management.

Ultrafast lasers permit labelling in the sub-micrometer range for the identification of tooling inserts. Instead of elaborate subsequent machining, scales can therefore be applied to highly polished cores in the final processing step.
Micro-labelling and holograms (interference structures) are used for tamperproof product identification. Labelling that is only visible with 1000x magnification is created here.