Laser marking versus Laser Engraving: What’s the difference?

What is the difference between laser marking and laser engraving? If you learn the difference, you are sure which technique to use. Differences are defined in terms of the effects they create on surfaces, and how the laser beams function.

If you use laser marking, the material surface is discolored while the area is marked by removing some portion of the surface in etching and engraving techniques. What sets apart etching and engraving is the depth of beams of light penetrating the surface.

Let’s have an overview of laser marking and laser engraving in this blog post.

Laser Marking

In the laser marking procedure, the beam of light interacts with the material surface giving a modification to its appearance. The discoloration method is used in this process. This involves passing a less-energized beam of lights across the surface creating high-contrast marks without material damage.

The material heats up, and the material turns black due to oxidation. Annealing is done by applying low temperature to the metal. The surface remains intact in this case. Laser marking is the least commonly employed technique and it is not serviced everywhere. The other common names for this technique are “laser dark marking” and “laser coloration”.

The commonly used types are:

1. Annealing
2. Carbon migration
3. Foaming
4. Coloration

This technique is widely used in the medical equipment manufacturing industry. It is best for making barcodes, logos, and other identification marks.

Laser Engraving

In this process, the beams of light are targeted to remove the material surface to expose a cavity that shows a design at eye level. Here, high heat is applied leading to material vaporization. This procedure is so efficient and fast. You can see and touch the design produced. If you need more deep touch, repeat the process.

Laser engraving has 3 types;

1. Etching
2. Deep laser engraving
3. Laser ablation

The above types are differentiated on the basis of surface and percentage of surface removal. If you want customized products, you may use them to create one. It does not give the best results in marking safety-critical items. If you are engraving metal, the maximum depth allows it 0.02″ while for graphite, you can go as deep as 0.0125″.

Take Away!

Laserbeschriftung and laser engraving are the 2 common processes industries known when it comes to the identification of the products. The differences are clear in the post. So, if you have any concerns, leave a comment.