Laser Marking Medical Device Parts

A manufacturer of medical implants needed a way to apply part numbers to small diameter titanium rods used in their devices. The rod and bar they use in their products is purchased in bundles. It is critical that each rod is traceable, so they needed a marking machine to apply a permanent part number to each rod before placing them in inventory.

Marking medical products presents some unique challenges, as the marks must be permanent, the marking method should not damage the integrity of the part, and the mark should not ultimately affect the surrounding tissues once the device is implanted. Laser marking is a perfect fit for this kind of marking application.

Pannier marked the rods with three different lasers in their sample marking lab to compare the depth and quality of each mark, shown here. The FYBRA fiber laser was chosen as the laser of choice, as the characters were very legible and the laser did not leave any residual markings on the rod.