JP-2026514349-A - Laser-marked articles having machine-readable codes

Abstract

A material sheet marked with a pulsed laser and having an outer and inner edge separated by a core. There is a first layer starting from the outer edge and extending into the core for less than about 60 microns, and a second layer starting where the first layer ends, at least about 5 microns from the outer edge and no more than 60 microns from the outer edge. The first layer is substantially free of laser marking additives, and the second layer has an average TiO2 concentration in the range of about 5.00% by weight to about 12.00% by weight of the second layer.

Inventors

• マシュー アーロン ノイマン
• ジョセフ クレッグ レスター
• マーク アンドリュー ママク
• エリカ アーリーン ウーマック
• アリエル レブロン
• アダムス ジェームズ ヴィエール

Assignees

• ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブル カンパニー

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20240329

Priority Date

20230330

Claims (15)

1. A material sheet marked with a pulsed laser, comprising an outer and inner edge separated by a core, wherein there exists a first layer beginning at the outer edge and extending into the core for less than about 60 microns, and a second layer beginning where the first layer ends, being at least about 5 microns from the outer edge and no more than 60 microns from the outer edge, wherein the first layer is substantially free of laser marking additives, and the second layer has an average TiO2 concentration in the range of about 5.00% to about 12.00% of the weight of the second layer.
2. The material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first layer has a decorative additive selected from the group consisting of pearlescent material, aluminum, gold flakes, and combinations thereof.
3. The material sheet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material sheet is a polymer.
4. The material sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the laser marking on the material sheet is a UPC, QR code, data matrix, or other machine-readable code or symbol.
5. The material sheet according to claim 4, wherein the machine-readable code symbol is a linear barcode symbol and has an overall symbol grade of 1.5 or higher based on verification in accordance with ISO/IEC 15416 (2016).
6. The material sheet according to claim 4, wherein the machine-readable code is a two-dimensional barcode symbol and has one or more grades based on verification in accordance with ISO/IEC 15415 (2011).
7. The material sheet is a material sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the material sheet forms an article.
8. The material sheet according to claim 7, wherein the article is a garbage bag, bottle, pouch, tube, film, laminate, bag, wrap, drum, jar, cup, or cap.
9. The material sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the material sheet has a thickness of 10 microns to 2 mm.
10. The material sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the laser marking by the pulsed laser includes the positions of a predetermined pattern, each containing marks or gaps in a grid pattern.
11. The material sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a patch comprising a region in which the second layer is disposed on the outer surface of the article, wherein the surface area of the patch is less than approximately 49% of the outer surface region of the article.
12. The material sheet according to claim 11, wherein the laser marking on the material sheet is a UPC, QR code, data matrix, or other machine-readable code or symbol, and the laser marking is arranged on the patch.
13. A material sheet marked with an IR pulsed laser, comprising an outer and inner edge separated by a core, a first layer starting from the outer edge and extending into the core for less than approximately 60 microns, and a second layer starting where the first layer ends, at least approximately 5 microns from the outer edge, and no more than 60 microns from the outer edge, wherein the first layer is substantially free of laser marking additives, and the second layer contains IR laser marking additives in an average concentration ranging from approximately 0.005% by weight to approximately 2.00% by weight of the second layer.
14. The material sheet according to claim 13, wherein the first layer has a decorative additive selected from the group consisting of pearlescent material, aluminum, gold flakes, and combinations thereof.
15. The material sheet according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the material sheet is a polymer.

Description

This invention relates to laser-marked sheet materials having machine-readable codes such as barcodes and QR codes, and articles containing such sheet materials. The invention also relates to laser-marked sheet materials having machine-readable codes and a transparent/decorative outer layer, and articles containing such sheet materials. Short-pulse laser decoration utilizes energy from nano, pico, and femto short-pulse lasers across various wavelengths and energies to mark decorative patterns onto articles such as products and/or packaging. Any and all other decorative techniques applicable to products and/or packaging (i.e., labels, screen printing, digital printing, etc.) can be used in conjunction with laser marking to achieve various decorative and functional effects. Importantly, the laser technology used in short-pulse laser marking is a high-throughput technique that uses a fixed laser source, where the laser beam is directed onto the product or packaging to be marked by electronically/mechanically controlled mirrors (i.e., "Garbo" sets) and lenses (i.e., F-theta and similar lenses). These mirrors and lenses steer the laser beam across the surface of the article (this steer is also called "scanning") so that the laser can impart images, such as digital images (e.g., from computer files such as PDF files), to the surface of the packaging or product. This technique has a further advantage over other decorative techniques in that the use of digital images allows for the customization and personalization of the decoration. There is considerable interest in the possibilities presented by laser-marked articles, such as those using short-pulse laser marking. For example, replacing adhesive labels on polymer containers is not only economically beneficial but also ecologically beneficial. Removing adhesive labels from polymer containers reduces the total weight of the packaging material, which in turn reduces the amount of petroleum-derived material per package, thus reducing the weight of the packaging and consequently requiring less fuel for transportation. Furthermore, the absence of adhesive labels makes it easier to recycle polymer containers, as adhesive labels often need to be removed before recycling due to potential impurities that could enter the recycling process. Laser marking of small items (i.e., golf balls, etc.) and/or small areas on items (i.e., date codes, address labels on finished packages) is known. While lasers are improving, with newer lasers having a variety of energies and wavelengths, these marking processes can still be slow and expensive. Furthermore, they lack the ability to mark small characters requiring high precision, such as small-font text consisting of alphanumeric characters (i.e., instructions for use, ingredient lists). For example, date codes are marked on packages by relatively simple lasers, but these use single lines of large, inaccurate, or unevenly spaced spots (ranging from 250 μm to over 800 μm in diameter) and relatively large-font characters. This is equivalent to printing stick figures that, while suitable for some purposes, are difficult for consumers to read and nearly impossible for machines to read. More specifically, large, inaccurate, or unevenly spaced single lines cannot currently be used to mark high-precision small-font text or machine-readable graphics, such as UPCs or QR codes, on articles. Even more specifically, when UPCs, QR codes, data matrices, or other machine-readable codes are printed on polymer articles with external decorative coatings, such as pearlescent coatings, the coatings can scatter light, making these codes difficult to read. Therefore, some decorative materials present very specific problems with respect to machine-readable codes. The current state of laser marking apparatus and processes generally includes a laser that generates a laser beam and a scanner that directs the beam towards the surface of the article to be marked. The scanner may use a set of mirrors directed towards the article surface by a Garbo set, or a polygon scanner. Apparatus utilizing a Garbo set includes "raster" marking processes and "vector" marking processes. These are either high-speed but low precision and resolution, or low-speed but high precision and resolution. A combination of high speed and high precision does not exist in the prior art. This problem is particularly pronounced when marking large areas on an article, such as when using laser marking as a complete replacement for other decorative techniques, where all text and/or graphics (many required for regulatory purposes) to be provided on at least one face of the article are provided via laser marking. While marking large areas can be facilitated by polygon scanners, these lack flexibility in terms of image modification. The raster laser marking process places individual laser marks in a grid, and the image is marked row by row, dot by dot by the laser. Each pulse is "gate-controlled" so tha