What gets marked on opticals
The inside of a spectacle temple usually carries the brand, model number, colour code and the frame size in the standard box format, written as lens width, bridge and temple length (for example 52 18 140). Frames sold for export may also carry a CE mark. Sunglasses add a small logo on the lens or the temple tip. Optical shops put their own name on hard cases and pouches, and eyewear brands that buy frames in bulk often mark their own label on them before they reach the shop. A growing number of shops also offer customers a name on the case as a small personal touch.
The detailed guide on laser marking spectacle frames covers frame work step by step, and the page on laser marking on lenses covers the engravings on spectacle lenses themselves.
Which laser marking machine suits opticals
Metal frames are mostly stainless steel or titanium, many others use nickel alloys such as Monel, and most are plated or painted. For laser marking on opticals made of metal, a fiber laser marks by removing the coating to show the base metal, which gives clean contrast on painted temples. On thin plated temples and bare titanium or stainless, a MOPA laser gives gentler marks and can produce dark marks without cutting through the plating.
Acetate frames engrave cleanly with a CO₂ laser, and a UV laser gives finer, lighter marks on acetate with less heat. TR90, a nylon based thermoplastic used for flexible frames, marks with fiber or UV depending on colour, and dark TR90 often gives a light mark under fiber. Logos on sunglass lenses are delicate work on coated polycarbonate and are usually trialled with a UV laser first.
Accessories vary. Aluminium hard cases take a fiber mark, and PU leather covered cases take a CO₂ mark, but many synthetic leathers are actually PVC, which must never be lasered. Microfibre cleaning cloths can be marked lightly with CO₂ though edges tend to melt, so printing is often the better route. Paper boxes and sleeves mark well with CO₂, and the kraft box guide covers that work.
When pad printing is the better choice
A laser mark is a single tone, apart from the colour effects a MOPA source can produce on stainless steel. Multi-colour logos on acetate temples or cases are still best done by pad printing, with the laser used for model numbers, sizes and personal names.
Setting up the job
Temples are narrow and curved, and the text on them is often only about 1 mm high, so for laser marking on opticals in any volume, a jig that holds several temples flat and at one height makes a big difference to consistency. Frame factories and brands marking in bulk usually load a full jig, mark it in one run and inspect under magnification. Optical shops doing occasional personalisation need a simpler setup: one fixture for frames and a flat area for cases. Plated frames should be trialled at low settings first, because cutting through the plating can expose metal that later tarnishes.
What to check before you buy
- Material mix. Bring samples of each frame type you handle (metal, acetate, TR90 and injection moulded plastic), because one laser rarely suits all of them equally.
- Plated frames. Check that the machine can mark plated temples without cutting through to base metal on gold or gunmetal finishes.
- Small text. Inspect 1 mm size text under a loupe, including the box size numbers, before you accept the samples.
- Temple jigs. Plan a jig that holds several temples flat, so marking stays in focus from the hinge end to the tip.
- Shop or factory. A shop personalising a few cases a day needs a different setup from a brand marking thousands of frames, so share your volume.
- PVC screening. Confirm the material of every case and pouch before marking, because PVC releases harmful fumes under a laser.
- Lens logos. If you plan to mark sunglass lenses, test on the exact coated lens, since mirror and tinted coatings react differently.
Laser marking on opticals in Tamil Nadu
Chennai has a dense network of optical wholesalers and retailers, and Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Salem each have busy optical markets of their own. Eyewear brands that source frames and add their own label, and larger shops that want branded cases and personalised frames, are the usual buyers for laser marking on opticals. Lens labs serving these shops often look at the same machine for lens or frame work.
NMB Enterprises is based at Poonamallee, Chennai, and deals in IndoForeign Technologies laser systems as an authorised distributor. Optical businesses anywhere in Tamil Nadu can call or WhatsApp 098417 60722 with photos of the frames and cases, their materials, a sample of the text or logo and a rough monthly quantity, and NMB will suggest which laser suits the mix you handle.