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Because of its speed and durability, laser etching is the process that we recommend for most marking applications.
What Is Laser Etching?
Laser etching is a process that creates marks on parts and products by melting their surface. It is part of the broader category called laser marking which also includes laser engraving and laser annealing. Highly versatile, it can be used with most metals.
To produce a raised mark, the laser beam delivers a high amount of energy to a small area. As a result, the surface of the material melts and expands. This can colour the material in black, white, or grey.
Etching is most used to produce permanent markings such as data matrix codes, serial numbers, barcodes, and logos.
Laser etching is faster, but laser engraving is more durable. This is because reaching a material’s melting point (laser etching) requires less energy than vaporizing it (laser engraving). Deep laser engraving may even require several lasers passes and inevitably even more time.
On the other hand, the holes dug with engraving have a better protection against abrasion than the elevated marks formed with etching. In fact, the laser etching elevation can reach up to 80 microns whereas the laser engraving depth can reach 500 microns.
Laser etching stands out when it comes to creating high-contrast markings. Whereas laser engraving only creates black marks, laser etching can be used to create both black and white marks. For this reason, laser engraving is usually used in combination with laser etching to create high-contrast engravings.
Etching is generally better than engraving unless you need high resistance to abrasion.
What Materials Can Be Etched with a Laser?
Laser etching is a versatile process that can be used with almost any metal. The following list is non-exhaustive:
What Colours Can Be Etched with a Laser?
Laser etching can generate black, white and shades of grey. For high-quality markings and part traceability, black and white offers the best contrast. Here’s how laser etching creates those colours:
Laser annealing, a different marking process, can create a wider range of colours on steel and stainless steel. By modulating the laser parameters, different colours can be created, as shown in the following pictures.
Laser Marking
How does Laser Marking work?
This process works by sending out a low-powered beam onto the surface of the workpiece causing the material under the surface to oxidize. In other words, the laser beam turns the material black. The result is a high-contrast image that is both permanent and very resistant. For this reason, this method is sometimes also known under other terms like “laser coloration” or “laser dark marking”.
What are the Differences to Laser Engraving & Laser Etching?
Unlike laser engraving and laser etching, this method does not disrupt surface. Meaning no material is removed from the part and the surface retains its texture.
Both laser marking and laser etching can be used to add logos and text to parts. The difference is that the oxidized material of laser marking turns black, while laser etching alters the reflectivity and the contrast with the surrounding material. Hence, laser etching is the preferred method for objects made from precious metals.
This variety of laser technology is the least common featured in this article. It is mostly used by medical and automotive companies. Therefore, not every service will offer laser marking.
What are typical applications of Laser Marking?
Laser marking can be applied to a large variety of materials. You can use it not only on flat parts, but also on surfaces that are curved or even round.
Companies in the medical device industry or automotive fields are used this technology to trace bespoke parts in their processing facilities.
To this end, they laser mark serial numbers or model codes onto their products’ surfaces. However, laser marking is less commonly used by hobbyists who often prefer laser etching.
