Since the outbreak of the epidemic, masks have become a daily necessity at this stage. However, the huge demand gap has caused some illegal suppliers to take advantage of it, and a large number of low-quality masks have entered the market. Entries related to "fake masks" and "mask fraud" have repeatedly turned up in hot searches.

For boxed 3M N95 / KN95 series masks, it can be identified by the anti-counterfeiting label on the mask box. The label on the real mask will change color from different angles, while the label on the fake mask will not change color.

For bulk 3M N95 / KN95 series masks, authenticity can be distinguished by looking at the font on the mask. The actual text on the 3M mask is laser marked with diagonal lines, while the fake text is printed with dotted ink (irregular ink markings).

In fact, laser marking anti-counterfeiting technology can not only be used to identify the authenticity of masks, but also plays a very important role in anti-counterfeit packaging and traceability in the fields of food, medicine, tobacco, beauty and electronic products. It can be said that anti-counterfeiting laser marking has been integrated into all aspects of our lives.

Unique advantages of UV lasers in medical and food applications

As we all know, there are many types of lasers and their applicable materials are also different. For example, fiber lasers are suitable for various metallic materials, CO2 lasers are suitable for most polymeric materials, and ultraviolet lasers are suitable for more precise and demanding application scenarios.

In fact, CO2 and fiber lasers have already developed marking applications. The light emitted by these lasers is in the infrared band. The essence of the marking process is to heat the material to bleach, carbonize or remove it by thermal interaction to produce color contrast, but this heating will change the chemical structure of the material of the heat affected zone (HAZ), the phenomenon of carbonation or the surface is not smooth. For plastics commonly used in food packaging, due to their low absorption of infrared light, the heat generated by infrared lasers can damage the surface of some packaging materials, so they cannot be used in the food packaging industry. large-scale food.

With this difference, the advantages of UV lasers are revealed. Most materials absorb ultraviolet light stronger than infrared light, and the photon energy of ultraviolet lasers is higher. For most white plastics (the pigment is TiO2), TiO2 will strongly absorb ultraviolet rays and change the structure of the glass. This change makes the substance in the corresponding area appear darker, resulting in smooth, clear and legible marks within the material.

Fiber lasers currently dominate the laser processing market, but UV lasers are also becoming a major force in the laser processing market. Especially the anti-counterfeiting market, which has attracted people's attention due to the anti-counterfeiting of masks, will bring new impetus to the development of ultraviolet lasers. In addition, the prices of UV lasers and laser marking machines continue to fall, which will also reduce the initial investment costs of users, helping to promote the further popularization of UV lasers in the world.