What is the difference between laser marking and laser engraving?

Laser marking/engraving is accomplished by passing a laser through a lens and then focusing that light onto the surface of the part to be marked. If the part to be marked is made of some material that absorbs the color of the light emitted by the laser (e.g. light from a fiber laser focused onto a metal substrate), then like burning a leaf with a magnifying glass, the part becomes hot and the resulting heat can discolor the surface or cause a small amount of material on the part to evaporate. In the case of material evaporating off the part, if the process is repeated several times, the focused laser beam will penetrate deeper into the part until it exceeds the focal depth of the lens and the laser is too far away. The focus continues the vaporization process. 

The type and depth of marking on a part is determined by a number of factors. The speed of the laser beam on the part, the output power and pulse frequency of the laser, and the spacing of the individual vector lines containing the marking information all have an impact on the resulting mark.

Each of the common marking techniques (engraving, ablation, dark marking and dye marking) is accomplished by varying the speed, power and pulse frequency of the laser. Further marking optimization can be helped by adjusting the size of the focused laser spot and the spacing of the vector lines that make up the marking information. Each marking technique affects the surface of the part in a different way. For example, stain marking only heats the surface of the material enough to form an oxide layer, but not enough to cause vaporization. The resulting oxide layer produces the appearance of color, usually black, although with some work, other color tones can be made to appear. Ablative marking, on the other hand, burns away a micron-thin layer of material to create a light-colored mark.

 

 

Laser Marking vs. Engraving

So, what is the difference between marking and engraving? The short answer is "the depth of the mark". Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, specifications for laser marked parts often specify a minimum or maximum depth of penetration into the material.

Where laser marking ends and laser engraving begins is difficult to quantify. We consider the laser marked part to have a micron depth, while the laser engraved part is considered to have a mils (thousandths of an inch) depth, although there is no specific depth that makes the marked part an engraved part.

 

Advantages of 3D Laser Marking Machine

1. Large working area

2D has a 300*300 lens, can we ask for more than that? Then we should use 3D vibrating lens, it can be 1200*1200. so it is easy to ensure the integrity of marking effect.

2. Surface marking

It is used to mark the surface, such as some bottles, water bottles. 2D can be marked with rotary axis, marking while rotating.

But once the surface is too big, normal 2D is no match for it. 3D is good at this because it can precisely grasp the focus. The target shape is perfectly rendered on the workpiece, avoiding distortion such as elongation and tilt.

3. Relief marking

This is the most important part of 3D marking machine. We can make beautiful reliefs by 3D machine, such as coins, gun carvings, molds, etc. And its price is also lower than CNC router. So it becomes a good choice for engraving relief.

4. Easy to operate

3D marking and engraving software can import the charts exported from the mainstream 3D software in the market, and make simple edits to the charts for easy operation.

 

3D laser marking machine has many advantages, and the price is really higher than 2D. So we should think more about how to use it and how to earn more by 3D machine.