Laser metal engraving uses different types of lasers to vaporize or burn off surface material to create designs on metal. CO2 lasers are versatile and can work with various materials, while YAG and Yb lasers are used for finer metalworking. Yb lasers are more cost-effective and compact, while YAG lasers are faster and more versatile. The most advanced machines are computer-controlled and can achieve resolutions up to 1,200 DPI. CO2 lasers are the most commonly used in industrial engraving due to their versatility.
Laser metal engraving is a process in which a small amount of surface material is vaporized or burned off the metal surface by a laser beam to form a logo, model number or other design for the metal part. Different types of laser beams are used to do this, including carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers, ytterbium (Yb) fiber lasers, and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) lasers. The shorter the wavelength of light of the laser beam, the finer the marks it can make.
CO2 lasers usually have a fairly large wavelength of laser light, which is 10 times greater than that of a 10.064 nanometer YAG laser. This makes them suitable for general metal laser engraving in a variety of materials other than metals, including marble, wood and plastics. YAG and Yb lasers have wavelengths from 1.064 to 1.080 nanometers and are used for finer metalworking, but will not affect other materials due to their limited power.
Both YAG and Yb lasers for metal engraving will cut to minimal depths, but their superior detailed work makes them well suited for custom engraving uses. Laser engraving metal with the Yb fiber laser will produce marks down to a depth of 0.001 inch (0.0254 millimeter). YAG lasers are slightly more powerful and can cut to a depth of 0.003 inches (0.0762 millimeters). Of the two, the Yb fiber laser costs less and is a more compact engraving machine. However, the YAG metal laser engraving system is faster and offers slightly more versatility, as the depth of the cut can be varied more by changing the speed and number of passes of the YAG laser beam over the surface.
The types of laser engraving machines also vary in how automated they are and how the surface to be engraved is mounted. The most advanced machines are the fastest, with computer-controlled laser programs preloaded. Resolutions between 50 dots per inch (DPI) and 1,200 DPI are possible for engraving. In contrast, a typical home computer printer may offer a contrast ratio of 600 by 600 DPI.
A CO2 metal laser engraving machine is often the most versatile and can work with metals such as aluminum, steel and chrome. Softer metals such as brass, copper and tin can also be engraved. Within industrial engraving, the CO2 laser is used almost exclusively over other types. This is because it can engrave a wide variety of metals and other materials such as rubber and acrylic, whereas a YAG laser is limited to fine metal printing, such as for markings on ballpoint pen clips.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
