TherMark and CerMark are two different brand names of laser marking materials which rely on
the same patented technology. As TherMark Holdings, Inc., we manufacture laser marking
materials under the TherMark brand. Ferro Corporation, a cross-licensed partner of ours,
manufactures products under the CerMark brand. Some formulations of laser marking material
come in both brands, while others come in only one or the other. It is often more important to
pay attention to the product’s part number than the brand of the product. There is no difference
between TherMark and CerMark products bearing the same part number except the packaging.
If you buy one of these products from TherMark or one of TherMark’s authorized distributors,
the products will come with TherMark’s packaging. If you buy one of these products from Ferro,
or one of Ferro’s authorized distributors, the products will come with CerMark packaging.
Correspondingly, products with different part numbers are completely different products. See
the chart at the bottom of the document for more details.
TherMark LMM14 & CerMark LMM6000
Another factor which contributes to confusion between TherMark and
CerMark is that the brand names are frequently used in conversation as
abbreviations for each brand’s most popular product. The name “TherMark”
is frequently used as a colloquial title for LMM14, and the name “CerMark” is
used for LMM6000. These products are indeed different.
TherMark LMM14 is a general purpose marking material which is
recommended for marking almost any metal. It is an extremely flexible
product, our top seller, and the product we recommend most of the time for
marking metals. It dries as a gray powder coating which is extremely easy to wash off after
laser bonding, and its liquid formulation is water-based and easily disposed of. The new nozzle
design and the lack of a hardener in the material makes the cans virtually immune to the
clogging previously experienced with other aerosols. If you are planning on keeping any one
laser marking product on your shelf, it should be LMM14. When purchasing LMM14 aerosol or
liquid inks from TherMark, no hazardous shipping fees are applied for ground shipping.
CerMark LMM6000 is recommended as an alternative general metal marking
compound or when a more durable pre-laser bonding coating is required. On
stainless steel LMM6000 makes a slightly darker mark than LMM14. It also
dries as a yellowish paint-like coating which is more durable than LMM14’s
powder coating. If you wish to spray and stack parts after application and
prior to laser bonding, or tend to handle parts a lot in the interim, we
recommend using LMM6000. LMM6000 liquid formulations are alcohol-based
and must be disposed of in accordance with your local regulations. When
purchasing LMM6000 aerosol or paste inks from TherMark, no hazardous
shipping fees are applied for ground shipping.