Engraving On Metal: The Complete Guide

Often, laser engraving and laser marking on metals are used interchangeably, but they are a bit different in many aspects. Laser engraving refers to putting desired information onto the surface of the metal with evident penetration below the material. It uses a focused light beam to remove material from a metal workpiece to create desired text or image.

In contrast, laser marking is about placing legible information on the metal surface part but with relatively little or no penetration. In this case, the depth of the mark is the profound difference between these two metal fabricating processes.

Types Of Laser Engraving Methods On Metal

Laser engraving methods are available in three major types, which include the following;

Laser etching– It is designed to produce relatively shallow marks

Laser ablation – The essence is to produce marks by removing unwanted surface coatings.

Laser engraving – It creates deep marks that can endure exposure to harsh environmental and operational conditions.

Advantages Of Laser Engraving Over Laser Marking On Metal

Technically, metal laser engraving offers a broader range of depths from shallow to deep, depending o your preference. It also guarantees better durability since the marks are deep enough to withstand different harsh conditions. And importantly, laser engraving provides greater marking speed, thus an ideal option, especially for urgent orders.

Types Of Laser Marking Methods On Metal

The notable laser marking techniques often used on a wide range of metal surfaces include the following;

• Coloring
• Annealing
• Carbon migration
• Foaming

Benefits Of Metal Laser Marking Over Other Methods

It guarantees higher marking precision, making it easy to target specific areas on the metal workpiece. This process produces relatively less waste, given it does not involve the removal of material from the workpiece to form the desired marks. Also, it offers better compliance with a wide range of industry regulations due to the permanence and readability of laser-made markings that add vital information.

Different engraving processes on metals are performed differently since they require various tools and equipment. However, the notable processes are as follows;

Laser Metal Engraving

Laser engraving sublimates the metal surface to form deep crevices. Thus, it implies the surface instantly absorbs sufficient energy to change from solid to a gas without necessarily becoming liquid. The laser engraving system generates adequate energy to enable the metal surface to reach the vaporization temperature within milliseconds.

Metal is vaporized into fumes when they get to its respective temperature. The laser system is always equipped with a fume extraction unit that protects the work area and an air knife to protect the laser’s lens.

Mechanical Metal Engraving

This process involves using a cutting tool to remove the unwanted material from the metal surface during the engraving process. It is often integrated with a wide range of computerized computer programs to provide the best results possible. However, since the process entails the cutting tools coming into physical contact with the metal surface, thus degrades them ultimately. Hence, you’ll need to replace the cutting tools often, which makes this process relatively more costly than others.

Abrasive Blasting Metal Engraving

It is a relatively simple metal engraving process that entails forcing an abrasive material on the metal surface at extremely high pressure. This enables it to create a profound engraving effect more effectively than a wide range of other engraving processes. It is a manual process and requires caution when engraving using this method.

Computerized Metal Engraving

This is an engraving process that utilizes a selection of various elements, including different applications and font styles on metal. It is quite fast and cost-effective, thus suitable for engraving a large number of metal materials. Besides, the computerized metal engraving process allows you to attain highly durable, accurate, and clear engravings.

Metal etching refers to a technique or process traditionally used to create different designs on metal surfaces.

Types Of Metal Etching

Chemical Metal Etching

The metal’s surface is often covered with a layer of wax before etching to enhance the protection of the surface. After drawing the design, the metal is dipped into an acid bath to allow it to eat away the metal, thus creating a beautiful design.

Laser Metal Etching

It uses a laser machine, emitting powerful light beams to create marks on metal surfaces by melting them. Essentially, the laser beam hits the metal surface, which in turn absorbs it, and its energy converts it into heat. The metal temperature increases hence melting and expanding the material surface. Laser metal etching is quite a versatile method that you can use on a wide range of metals.

However, the laser etch depth is never more than 0.001”, making it an ideal option for small projects like jewelry. Some notable advantages of metal etching include high extreme precision, versatility, material savings, high speed, cost-effectiveness, and repeatability. On the other hand, engraving on metal is a printmaking method that entails using a sharp and pointed cutting tool to create different designs, patterns, and shapes on metal surfaces.

The metal plate in engraving is inked and forced into grooved created by the cutting tool before the plate is pressed. Technically, the major similarity between metal engraving and etching is that they are both used in cutting lines into metals. However, the notable differences between this two metal fabricating methods include the following;

• Etching is more suitable for small objects, but engraving best suits both small and large objects.
• Engraving is more versatile since you can use it on many types of metal materials. Etching, on the other hand, only suits specific metallic materials.
• Typically, metal etching needs less effort since the etcher draws the design through the wax. Engraving on metal, however, needs more physical effort since the tool must be used in cutting into the metal.