That removal of material leaves a shallow or deep mark.Īpplications. With the raised mark, light refracts and displays white, black, or gray depending on the reflectivity.īecause engraving uses heat absorption instead of melting, the material is removed instead of inflated. When etching, the heat makes the material like wet paint, sitting on top of the original material. When the paint is dry on the paper, it lays flat, but when the paint gets wet, it spreads out and changes color. When a material melts during etching, it becomes malleable and gains height-kind of like watercolor paint on a piece of paper. Etching and engraving produce different designs because of how the laser processes the material. For example, for specific medical devices, etching is prohibited because the marks can collect contaminants.ĭesign. But be careful about choosing speed over other priorities. Since the melting point comes before the vaporization point naturally, etching is a faster process.īecause of its speed, you might select etching over engraving for a large production project that has to be completed quickly. But when engraving, the laser has to get to a material's vaporization point. When etching, a laser only has to reach the target material’s melting point. Etching and engraving differ in marking speed because of the heat processes they each use. Regardless of the type of laser marker you choose, programming it correctly for the task at hand requires an understanding of the critical differences between etching and engraving. Differences Between Etching and EngravingĪll laser markers can engrave, and some can etch, but there is more to consider than just whether a laser can achieve the task. This is a good choice for shallow engraving into sensitive or heat-resistant materials like glass, wood, cardboard, paper, and synthetic rubber. Additionally, since the absorption rate is so high, the laser does not damage the material.Ī CO 2 laser engraves products by burning. This means that the laser can mark even materials that have high melting points, like glass or metal, without using high power. It uses intense heat to engrave or etch, so it’s best for use on metals and materials that are not heat-sensitive.Ī UV laser has a 355-nm wavelength and an incredibly high absorption rate. You also can pick which type of laser is best for your application.Ī fiber laser is an infrared laser with a 1,090-nm wavelength. It offers varied speed, power, and pulse frequencies that you can manipulate depending on which process you choose. Whether you choose laser etching or laser engraving, you’ll be using a laser marking machine for the process. The malleable material is sometimes manipulated into a textured, raised design like a bar code, or it’s made for surface processing. When the targeted material reaches its melting point, it becomes malleable and sits atop the original material. Instead of vaporizing the target, however, laser etching heats it only to the melting point. Laser etching is similar to engraving in that it uses a pointed laser beam to hit a target. ![]() Other carved-out areas make room for analyzing the inner workings of a product or cleaning out contaminants. Some of the carved-out areas create designs like 2D codes, text, bar codes, or numbers. Depending on the laser and the target, the engraving could be deep or shallow. Vaporizing the target disintegrates the material and leaves behind a carved-out area. Laser engraving uses a pointed laser beam to hit a target and heat it until its vaporization point. Although the marking methods of laser engraving and laser etching sound like similar processes, they are different in speed, design, and application. As manufacturing grows in speed and production size and traceability requirements increase, the need for efficient, precise, and nondamaging laser marking is more pressing than ever.
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