Los Angeles, CA—TherMark Corporation, a developer of high-contrast, permanent marks, has entered into a strategic partnership with Merck KgaA (Darmstadt, Germany) for the color marking of plastics and with Tesa AG (Hamburg, Germany) for the production of dry transfer tape products. The intellectual property rights of TherMark's laser marking technology comprises two granted U.S. patents and 47 patents pending in various international jurisdictions.
Merck, a developer and producer of laser-sensitive pigments, also has an extensive portfolio in this technology. Tesa offers a line of tape products designed for the transport and positoning of materials and it is developing innovative adhesive technologies.
Dry transfer laser marking material (LMM) consists of a marking material coated onto a backing paper or plastic film. The coating is slightly self-adhesive and is placed in contact with the substrate surface. When laser energy is passed over the tape, the LMM is transferred and permanently bonded to the substrate. Marking on porous materials is ideal for this technology.
LMM is currently being used by a manufacturer of automotive catalytic converters to provide permanent product identification and production information on the surface of the ceramic cores. Here the LMM tape is contained in a cassette similar to a typewriter ribbon. The individual parts are brought into contact with the tape by a robotic handling system and a message is sent to the laser marking system to write the specific product identification and product information. The robot then removes the core from the tape surface, the tape advances and the system is ready to cycle again.
For more information on LMM, contact TherMark at Tel. (323) 255-4070 or www.thermark.com.