What is laser engraving and etching?

Both laser engraving and etching fall into the category of laser marking. Laser engraving and etching are comparable in the fact that they create a permanent mark. This happens when the laser removes material from the surface of the product being marked.

Since these marking methods can be used on almost any material, it makes them the perfect solution for many industries that require permanent marks for traceability and identification. There is also a range of industrial applications where manufacturers can use laser engraving and etching to mark 2D Data Matrix codes, bar codes, date/time stamps, logos, serial numbers, and other imperative information.

Laser engraving and laser etching are often used interchangeably, but there are some important differences between them.

The main difference between these methods is the depth of the mark. As the depth of the mark increases, it is considered engraving.

The method you choose will depend on the type of mark you are looking to achieve. For example, post-processing applications require greater depth to ensure quality and readability of the mark. Certain industries also require specific depths to meet regulatory marking standards.

An engraving machine for metal leaves an actual mark on stainless steel and other metals. It results in ablation of the material on laser marking stainless steel parts. The material vaporises and changes the colour where the fiber laser etching occurs. Because of the very high energy of the laser, materials like steel, titanium and other metals can be vaporised directly.

At LMT AUS, we only use the best fiber laser technology on the market to produce unmatched results for our clients. We can engrave and etch almost any material including:

  • Stainless steel
  • High tensile steel
  • Cerekoted steel
  • Blued steel
  • Aluminium
  • Polymer
  • Glass
  • Gold

We can apply this on any item from dog tags, knives, cups and precision items.

For the best results, we require a high-resolution black and white image without a background in a JPEG, PNG, SVG or AI format.