Nucleation of Beer Glasses by Laser Engraving

Nucleation is a process whereby the inner surface of a drinking glass is marked to provide for a roughness to which the gasses from carbonated drinks, such as beer, will be attracted and released into the liquid at an accelerated rate.

There are several ways to mark glass like this but none come anywhere near to being as fast, effective, clean or low in cost to produce as a CO2 laser marking machine.

Compared to a standard glass, after the drink is poured, a nucleated glass will enhance the visual appearance of the liquid by making it look ‘fizzier’ and in particular with lager beers it increases the volume of the frothy head, characteristics that are highly desirable to both the seller and the consumer.

When comparing a nucleated glass to one that is not nucleated the difference in effect of the appearance after pouring can be massive. By comparison, the non-nucleated glass will show a liquid that looks very flat.

To reach into the bottom of a pint glass requires a significant degree of clearance from the lens of the laser engraving machine. There is also the speed of the laser marking to consider too. Therefore, the only viable system configuration for this process is a galvo delivered CO2 laser engraving machine at the 10.6µm laser wavelength.

Not much laser power is required for nucleation. A 45w laser is usually sufficient

A typical nucleation mark by a galvo laser engraver will be produced in approximately 1 second. Therefore, when combined with well designed automation for handling the glasses it is possible to laser engrave well in excess of 3,000 glasses per hour with a single laser engraving machine.

As no material is vaporised during this process there is no requirement for fume extraction; somewhat of an exception compared to most other applications where a CO2 laser engraver is used.

As with all laser engraved glass, it is very important to balance the laser parameters well so as to create enough of a mark to work well and look good but not too much so that the glass engraving starts to fracture and splinter. Once the machine parameters are perfected this type of system will work reliably and consistently 24/7 with near to zero required maintenance.

Compared to conventional glass marking processes, another major advantage of laser engraving glass is the ease with which the content can be changed. It is in fact quite possible to create marks that are individual from one glass to the next without any user intervention.

At Lotus Laser Systems we manufacture a wide range laser marking and engraving solutions ideally configured for laser cutting and laser engraving all types of materials. Our experts would be happy to recommend which configuration best suits your application.