Method of Convex Marking of the Surfaces of Steel Products Using a Pulsed 50-W Infrared Fiber Laser

Convex linear structures of various configurations with a height up to 200 μm and a depth up to 100 μm and point structures with a height up to 500 are formed on the surface of steel samples using a 50-W pulsed nanosecond fiber laser with a wavelength of 1.064 μm without filler wires or powders. The structures are formed from the irradiated steel material by controlling the melt dynamics. The possibility of forming braille on a steel surface using this technology is shown. The results are promising for a number of industries, where electron-beam machines and high-power laser sources are prohibitively expensive and a high rate of relief formation is required.