Precision laser marking for medical applications

Precision laser marking for medical applications

Medical marking

The requirements for marking medical products are somewhat unique compared to other industries. Pills are ingested, and many other medical products (tubing, stents, etc.) are brought into either external or internal contact with patients. So, it is often essential that the mark itself is not a source of contamination, or does not contain chemicals that might cause an allergic reaction. Furthermore, it is frequently desirable that the marking process leave the marked surface smooth, either to avoid tissue damage or to avoid having the mark become a site for bacterial growth.

Another frequent requirement of medical marks is the inclusion of lot numbers, serial numbers, or other identifying information that enables the determination of where and when a specific product was manufactured. Then, if units are subsequently found to be somehow defective, users can readily identify if they possess products made at the same time and place that might exhibit a similar problem.

Batch and origin marking also helps to address a growing problem in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, namely counterfeiting and "gray market" products. Sometimes, this counterfeiting involves nothing more than simply peeling a label off a bottle and applying a new one. But, increasingly, western countries are being flooded with counterfeit pharmaceuticals (usually produced in Asia) that appear identical to the real version, but may not contain the correct dosages or meet requisite quality control standards.

As a result, the ideal mark for medical applications is indelible, easy to read, difficult to copy or alter, contains unique serialization information, and doesn't change product functionality in any way.