Internal marking of glass and other transparent materials offers many benefits or product trademark recognition, traceability or anti-counterfeiting, Laser marking is a promising technology, however, current laser systems suffer from limitations, due to micro-cracks generated during the marking process. In this article, a new generation of laser marking systems, using ultrafast lasers with extremely short pulse duration, optimised for high quality, stress-free high productivity internal engraving of transparent materials is presented. An EU consortium has developed and launched a complete system, suitable for application in luxury, spirits, beverage & pharmaceutical industries, which is described in this article. Alternative markets and applications are actively pursued.
