Aesthetic laser marking assessment

In this paper, the CIE color difference formula was applied to evaluate tour types of material surfaces: anodized aluminium. stainless steel, poly-butylene tetra-phthalate (PBT), and phenol formaldehyde, marked using a Nd:YAG laser, and viewed under three common modes of illumination: tungsten, fluorescent and daylight. The color difference values were based on the spectral reflectance readings obtained from a spectrophotometer. Each material exhibited different color difference trends in relation lo marking speed for the different modes of illumination. Nevertheless, general comparisons could be made in terms of operational marking speeds and the maximal color difference values for each material. 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.