Laser engraving is a rapidly growing industry thanks to its many advantages over traditional engraving methods. It is more accurate, which allows for a significantly greater level of detail compared to other engraving methods. Moreover, it is faster and cheaper than the other methods. That and other advantages have helped laser engraving become a booming industry today.
The laser is able to produce a more detailed image with greater accuracy and granularity than other methods. It also offers significant cost savings over traditional manufacturing techniques, making it a suitable choice for a wide variety of applications. The use of lasers for material engraving is not a new concept, as it has been in use for many years. However, with the emergence of newer and more powerful lasers, the process has become much more straightforward and safe. Among other things, lasers can be used for precision cutting of metals and other hard materials.
Laser cutting has many benefits over conventional processes such as waterjet or plasma cutting. Since no cutting tool is required in this case, laser cutting achieves very high precision when processing parts. This precision allows complex shapes to be fabricated which would not be possible with other cutting methods. The high rate of production with this type of cutting technique means that even vast quantities of material are processed very rapidly, thus shortening manufacturing turnaround times and thereby greatly increasing operational efficiency.
Laser engraving is similar in a way to traditional printing, but rather than applying ink or toner, a laser beam is focused on the surface of the material. The laser beam's energy vaporizes away the material, thus leaving a permanent mark. Often laser engraving is used for personalization - for example, to engrave names or logos on gifts and merchandise.
Metals such as aluminum and stainless steel reflect laser light, which means greater laser power is required to process them. However, metals can also be engraved using a low power laser setup. Non-metallic materials such as wood, acrylic and cardboard are conversely much easier to cut and engrave because they are able to soak up more of the laser’s light.
