Indoor Air Quality Concerns for Laser Marking Fumes

From the fridge to the medicine cabinet, home office to the laundry room, products are stamped with dates, serial numbers, and other forms of identification. For consumer safety, brand protection, and traceability, companies permanently stamp their products. One of the ways they do this is by laser marking. In the average home, objects that have been laser marked are virtually everywhere. Serial numbers, barcodes, and even expiration dates on soda cans, plastic fruit containers, and cold medicines are examples of the type of marking and products that are labeled by this process. 

How Does Laser Marking Work, Exactly?

Unlike other forms of product labeling, laser marking uses a beam of intense light to create a permanent, distinct, and readable mark across an object’s surface area by altering it with a faint discoloration. Materials such as metal, glass, paper, plastic, and wood are ideal surfaces for marking.

Along with the convenience of this automated process, there are indoor air quality issues for those who work alongside the machines that mark the products. As with many industrial processes, especially those that burn or cut metal or organic materials, unhealthy laser marking fumes and particles can be released. If they are not removed at the emissions source, the air surrounding a worker’s breathing space can become polluted. Take the case of Guhring, Inc.

Case Study: Guhring, Inc.

Guhring Incorporated began in 1898 making five types of twist drills. Today, it has grown to 26 production plants and 36 service centers worldwide and offers consumers over 35,000 standard design cutting tools.

Like many companies, providing clean air for worker health and optimal production output was something Guhring was diligent about. But after having spent tens of thousands of dollars on air cleaning systems that weren’t removing laser marking fumes and odors properly, the company needed a change. That’s when Facility Engineer Director, Fred Langer, looked for an alternative method, one that not only worked effectively but was also economical. Our Extract-All Model S-987-2A Compact Air Cleaning system proved to be that product.

Laser marking fumes created by machines can be a health threat to workers, especially since these systems are fully enclosed, creating a containment of gas, fumes, and particulate dust. Our compact system is built with two inlets fashioned on a portable caster base and connected easily to the exhaust port of Guhring’s marking machine, thus removing pollution where it originated. Our customers were happy with their new indoor air cleaning system. It did what it needed: it protected its workers and products from pollution-generated laser marking fumes and other occupational risks.

But this is just one story about laser marking fumes being eliminated by using our compact and low-maintenance Extract-All system. Contact us today for a free estimate from one of our clean air specialists to see which of our clean air products are right for you.