What is Laser Engraving and Cutting?

Laser engraving is a process that uses a laser beam to etch or mark the material's surface. The laser beam removes the top layer of the material, creating a permanent mark without the need for inks or tool bits. Laser engraving is commonly used for adding logos, serial numbers, text, and images to various materials like wood, leather, acrylic, and metal.

Laser cutting, on the other hand, is a process where the laser beam is used to precisely cut through a material along a predetermined shape or pattern. The high-powered laser beam heats and vaporizes the material, creating a clean and precise cut without the need for physical contact or force. Laser cutting is commonly used in industries like manufacturing and automotive, as well as in DIY projects.

Both processes utilize the focused energy of the laser to interact with the material's surface. The key difference between laser engraving and cutting is the depth of material removal. Engraving primarily removes a thin surface layer to create marks, whereas cutting involves completely severing the material along a specified contour.

What you can do with it

Blue Laser vs Infrared Laser: Which one to choose?

Snapmaker's laser engravers and cutters are a type of solid-state laser that utilizes laser diodes as their light source for generating laser beams.The blue laser beams lie in the visible range spectrum (400-700 nm) with a wavelength of 440-450 nm, while the infrared laser has a fixed wavelength of 1064 nm. The choice between blue laser and infrared laser will depend on the specific requirements of the application and the materials being processed.

Blue Laser

High Power: Blue lasers have significantly higher output power than infrared lasers, with output power ranging from 10 W to 40 W, allowing for deep engraving and cutting.

Absorption: Many materials absorb blue light effectively due to its shorter wavelength, leading to efficient material removal during processes and making them versatile for different applications.

Infrared Laser

Precision: The smaller laser spot of infrared laser enables precise engraving, making it suitable for intricate designs and finer details.

Metals and Plastics Compatibility: Even if the output power of the infrared laser is 2 W, the peak power can reach up to 15,000 W, making it capable of engraving on metals as well. Additionally, the infrared laser is ideal for engraving plastics without overheating or melting the material, leaving no burn marks.

What materials can be laser cut or engraved?

Wood

Wood is an organic material comprised of cellulose and lignin. When interacting with laser energy, partial combustion occurs inside wood. The primary factors affecting the laser processing results are the density, the uniformity of density, and the resin content of wood.

Plastic

Commonly used plastics can be mainly categorized into two types: thermosets and thermoplastics. There is a wide range of plastics and quite a few of them can be laser processed, such as acrylic, POM, EVA, PA, PC, PE, and silicone. But it should be noticed that every plastic more or less releases toxic gases, so it is vital to work in a well-ventilated space, install a filter system, and put on protective equipment.

Leather

When a highly contrasted laser beam hits on the surface of leather, it quickly vaporizes or burns the leather. Laser engraving leather results in a debossed effect and a noticeable and clean contrast. Cutting leather with laser is incredibly fast and precise, making intricate designs easy to produce.

Metal

In the case of metal engraving, the heat from the laser causes a color change on the metal surface, resulting in permanent and high-contrast markings. In metal cutting, the intense heat produced by the laser beam vaporizes the material, allowing for clean cuts without the need for physical contact.

Fabric

Most types of fabric are suitable for laser cutting, while some fabrics, such as felt and fleece, can be processed by laser engraving as well. Commonly used fabrics for laser processing include cotton, linen, nylon, silk, and wool products.

In addition to the above materials, Snapmaker's machines also support laser processing of the following materials: bamboo, MDF, dark glass, slate, brick, ceramic, jade, marble, shale, canvas, corrugated fiberboard, cardboard, PCB, etc.

Note 1: More materials are currently being tested, the above list will expand.

Note 2: Being exposed to high-energy laser beams, the physical and chemical properties of materials are subject to change. It is possible to produce sticky liquid, flame, or poisonous fumes and gases if an inappropriate material is used. You should operate the laser module only if you have sufficient knowledge of the material properties and safety measures.

Types of Snapmaker Laser Modules

Our Recommendations

For beginner users

For Advanced Users