A novel method for approximating local changes in the surface absorption for laser marking using 3D laser scanning

Laser marking is a non-contact technique, which achieves colouring by using a laser beam to increase surface oxidation. Controlling the amount of heat induced into the part is essential in ensuring the desired degree of oxidisation. However, the induced heat is not only dependent on the process parameters, but also on the surface absorption, which in turn is dependent on the material, laser wavelength, and surface quality, i.e., current degree of oxidation and contaminants as well as surface roughness. This paper proposes a method for correlating backscatter from a 3D laser scanner with the surface absorption of sheet metal parts. The purpose is to determine local changes in the surface absorption caused by surface oxidation and contamination. The method utilises a 3D laser scanner, which projects a laser line at the surface and measures the resulting backscatter at an angle. The proposed solution applies a bi-directional reflectance model to reduce the influence of varying scanning angles. The method’s sensitivity to variations in surface treatments is investigated and validated against backscatter spectroscopy measurements. The results show that the proposed method can identify changes in the absorption. However, these were, in some cases, more than 70% higher compared to spectroscopy measurements.