Frequently Asked Questions on Laser coding and marking

Laser coding is a non-contact, permanent coding method used to mark or engrave information on products or packaging. Laser coding is a way of printing information onto a product using a laser light beam instead of ink. The laser changes the surface, so the code becomes permanent, clear, and durable. Because nothing touches the product and there’s no ink to replace, laser marking is clean, reliable, and great for washdown and fast-moving production lines.  

How does a laser marking machine work? 

Laser coding (laser marking) machines generate a concentrated beam inside a gain medium — such as fibre, CO₂ or crystal — then steer it with fast galvanometer mirrors and focus it to a micron-scale spot on the product surface. Laser marking is achieved by removing material or a coating from the product or packaging, or by changing the surface of the substrate. In each case, the code is permanent. 

What is the difference between laser marking and laser engraving? 

Laser marking is the placement of the information on the surface with little to no penetration. Engraving refers to placing the information with much more force to reach under the surface of the material.

What is a laser coder? 

A laser coder is an industrial machine that uses a focused laser beam to permanently mark products with information like dates, batch numbers, barcodes, or logos—without using ink or physical contact. These laser marking systems are widely used in washdown high-speed manufacturing environments such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and electronics industries. Laser coders are valued for their durability, precision, and eco-friendliness, as they require no consumables like ink or ribbons. 

Laser vs CIJ – Which is better? 

Choose laser marking if you need: 

  • Permanent, high-quality marks resistant to abrasion, chemicals, heat, and tampering – ideal for traceability, barcodes, and logos. 
  • A clean, consumable-free process with low long-term costs and minimal maintenance. 

Choose CIJ (Continuous Inkjet) if you need: 

  • A versatile, fast changeover, and cost-effective solution for multiple substrate types—including curved or porous surfaces. 
  • Lower upfront investment when permanent marking isn’t critical, such as for date/lot coding. 

What materials can be marked with a laser marking machine? 

Laser markers can mark substrates including film, paper, glass, metal, plastics, rubber and wood. Linx offers a range of laser coders each suited to specific substrates ensuring the best durable, consistent codes on each material type.  

What are the different type of laser coders? 

Linx CO2 – Printers complex variable data, barcodes and graphics. Marks various size products without adjustment. Discreet marking on rigid plastics and suited to high-speed production lines.  

Linx UVG5 – Permanent marking on difficult to code substrates (heat sensitive or delicate substrates) where a colour change is required for contrast. Medium/large customer with high volume production lines. Non-invasive marking  

Linx Fibre – Marks metals, rigid plastics and foils. Fine spot size for small components and high-resolution logos. 20W and 50W options.

What industries should use laser marking?  

Industries where washdown and fast changeover is common such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, automotive and extrusion use laser markers for high traceability and quality control. 

How much maintenance do laser markers require?  

Linx Lasers are designed to have a long machine life with minimal maintenance and no consumables, helping to reduce operational disruptions. Typical maintenance included lens cleaning every 4-6 weeks, a task that usually takes about 30 seconds. Fume extraction filter check, the filters will need to occasionally be inspected or replaced especially in dusty environments.

What are the advantages of laser marking?  

Laser markers offer low maintenance, no consumables solution providing permanent codes. Lasers have a long machine life with higher uptime as there are fewer stoppages and no mess. They can code on stationary and moving products and have a lower total cost of ownership due to less servicing and fewer parts meaning more reliability. 

What do Linx offer? 

Linx CSL10 – Handles variety of simple to complex code types. Easy setup, with touchscreen message management.

Linx CSL30 – Flexible solution, configurable to coding requirements. Quick to deploy and transfer to
new lines.

Linx CSL60 – Ideal for beverage, automotive industries & more. Over 20,000 configurations to meet code requirements.

Linx UVG5 – High performance, easy integration and user-friendly innovation for fast, consistent product marking in demanding applications.

Linx FSL20 & FSL50 – Ideal for large volume and small area coding. Well-suited to medical, automotive and electronics sectors.

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