Most people in the marking industry already know that laser marking systems are ideal for industrial applications and part marking, but there are a lot of other applications you can explore with your marking system.
"15 Products You Shouldn't Overlook" by J. Stephen Spence (pg. 8-15 in the May 2012 edition of The Engravers Journal) offers readers a number of products a laser marking system can engrave that you might not have considered before. One product Spence suggests is pet tags, and he has some pretty good reasons for suggestion them.
Spence starts by pointing out that, "Pet products are a multi-billion dollar business in the United States and it's an area that continues to grow despite the economy," (pg. 10). Regardless of the economy, people spend money on their pets and pet tags are a necessary purchase for any responsible pet owner. Marketing pet tags can be as easy as asking local pet stores and veterinary clinics if you can leave samples and your contact info displayed in their store.
Laser marking systems are ideal for this kind of application, "Because most tags are made of anodized aluminum which laser engraves very well and very quickly," (pg. 10). It's not just the speed at which you can engrave pet tags that makes them attractive, "For stainless steel tags, use a laser-markable coating to engrave them with your CO2 laser and the tags will sell for five times what an aluminum tag does," (pg. 10).
If you already have a laser marking system, consider pet tags as a way to branch out from industrial applications. If you are in the market for a system, however, we offer a number of laser marking solutions including desktop fiber lasers, CO2 lasers, and open table fiber lasers.