Did you know lasers mark objects and materials in many ways? Two of the most common methods are laser marking and laser engraving; what’s the difference? Below, we’ll explain the basics of laser marking and laser engraving and the advantages of each process.

Laser Marking & Its Process

The laser marking process refers to using lasers to place legible information onto the surface of a material with little to no penetration or destruction. While we might think of lasers as intensely hot weapons capable of burning through anything (like in the movies), laser marking uses sensitive tools that don’t damage the material.

Instead of burning away the material to create an indention, laser marking burns and melts the material to change the surface with high-contrast marks, which is it’s sometimes called laser coloration. Different types of marking fall under the process:

• Laser foaming
• Laser annealing
• Laser carbon migration
• Laser coloration

Advantages of Laser Marking

Laser marking has many benefits, but the primary one is that it leaves the material surface intact, so there’s no damage to its structural integrity. This process is ideal for smaller and more sensitive materials, which is why the pharmaceutical industry uses this non-destructive marking to label pills and tablets.

The marking process doesn’t remove any material from the object being marked, so it has little to no environmental impact. Ultimately, the laser creates a precise, readable, and permanent mark, making it ideal for displaying vital information like barcodes or serial numbers.

Laser Engraving & Its Process

What’s the difference between laser marking and laser engraving? The key distinction is that laser engraving physically removes material from the object’s surface with the laser. Essentially, the laser creates a cavity using extreme heat to instantly vaporize the material from the surface.

This process is done with pulses from the laser and can be done very quickly. The result is an engraving you can feel and see. Subgroups of laser engraving include laser etching, deep laser engraving, and laser ablation.

Advantages of Laser Engraving

The advantage and downside of laser engraving are practically the same—along with a visual distinction in the object, the laser removes material to create a cavity. This cavity can be an advantage as a permanent mark, but it limits the materials that can be engraved, as it might weaken the integrity of some objects.

An engraving can stand the test of time for objects that might experience high wear and tear, which could fade away a marking. Laser engraving can be performed on any hard material, from metal to glass.

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