Frosting and surface texturing

The laser can be used for defined structuring of tool surfaces. Typically, relatively small structural elements that are repeated continuously but not necessarily visibly are engraved to form a smooth and in some cases polished surface. Lasers have a special role in areas where this structure is transferred to moulded workpieces.

Another application is selective "frosting" of polished moulded tools, for example minting dies for coins or medal. Unlike the process in which paint or a similar protective cover is first applied to the die and is then manually removed from certain areas to be frosted under the microscope by a scalpel before irradiation, frosting with a laser machining system is considerably less cumbersome. The entire process time is significantly reduced and the result no longer depends on the steady hand of an employee.

Areas to be frosted can be conveniently defined on screen with the mouse at high magnification, and errors can be corrected with a few clicks. In addition, lasers open up entirely new possibilities in terms of design, since in addition to traditional frosting with the goal of producing a matte surface, unlimited other textures with interesting visual effects can be applied.