APPLICATION FOCUS: MARKING ON CHROME-COATED SIDE VIEW MIRRORS

Marking on chrome-coated side view mirrors

Lasers are widely used in the automotive industry for a variety of manufacturing applications. One of these applications is the marking of important safety features on side view mirrors by selectively removing chrome coating from the mirrors.

Several marks were produced in this application: a blind spot indicator, a right signal indicator, and two lines of text. The sample consisted of a 40-50 µm thick chrome coating on the glass substrate. It was important to remove the coating from the glass substrate side of the sample (not the coating side) to avoid re-deposition of debris on the coating.

The Quantronix Q-Mark Osprey-1064-20-L with an 11" scan lens was used for this application. The sample was placed 2 mm above the focus to achieve the desired line of 150 µm. The two lines of text were marked at a scan speed of 1000 mm/second with a cycle time of 3 seconds. The blind spot indicator and right signal indicator were marked with a cycle time of 922 msec and 544 msec, respectively. The chrome coating was removed without damaging the glass substrate, and no re-deposition or debris was seen on the glass surface.

Click here to read more about the Quantronix Q-Mark Osprey Series.