Materials
Materials determine the type of laser system. One laser is not better then another nor will a single laser process all materials
A laser beam will do one of two things on any given material: “bounce” or “absorb”
Be VERY aware of the smoke produced from a laser!!
| Plastics | CO2 Laser | Fiber (or YAG) Laser | UV Laser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nylon | cut and engrave | ||
| Polycarbonate (Lexan) | Thin PC cuts decently, not thick PC | Marks very well | Marks well |
| Acrylic | Cut and engrave very well | No | No |
| ABS | Engraves with no contrast | Marks with contrast | Marks with contrast |
| PEEK | Marks very well | ||
| Polystyrene | Polystyrene | ||
| Polyethylene | High Density mark well | ||
| Pebax | Engraves with no contrast | Mark OK | Mark OK |
| PVC (Kydex) | Hydrogen Chloride gas will cause health issues and rust a ny metal and cause bearings to seize | Be Careful | |
| White Delrin | Engrave whitout contrast | Does not mark well | |
| Black Delrin | Engrave without contrast | Marks very well - white or yellow | Marks Well |
| Rowmark (for laser) n | |||
Metals
| Steel | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal | Surface Anneal |
| Aluminum | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal | Surface Anneal |
| Brass | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal | Surface Anneal |
| Copper | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal | Surface Anneal |
| Silver | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal | Surface Anneal |
| Gold | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal | Surface Anneal |
| Titanium | No mark (directly) | Engrave or surface anneal with colors | Surface Anneal |
Coated Surfaces
| Anodized Aluminum | Marks well and can bleach | Marks well and can bleach | Marks well and can bleach |
| Painted Surfaces | Ablate paint | Ablate paint | Ablate paint |
| Powder Coated Surafces | Ablate power coating | Ablate power coating | Ablate power coating |
Other Materials
| Wood | Cut and engrave very well | No | No |
| Paper Products | Cut and mark very well | No | No |
| Kapton (polyimide) | cut and skive with scortching | No | Cut and Skive very well |
| Marble and Granite | Engraves well | Surface removal well | Surface removal well |
| Stone | Engraves well at high power | No | No |
| Ceramic | Engraves with high power | Marks well | Marks OK |
| Glass | Engraves well, no cutting | No | Engraves very well |
| Rubber | Cut and engrave well | Can cut and can engrave | Can cut and engrave |
| Fiberglass | Engraves with no contrast | No | |
| Leather | Marks, engraves and cuts well | No | No |