Short, practical guides from our engineers — how to pick a source, what marks on what, how to keep a machine running.
Guide 01
Metals → Fiber (1064 nm). Wood, acrylic, leather, paper, glass frosting → CO2 (10.6 µm). Plastics, glass, PCB, anything heat-sensitive or regulated → UV (355 nm). When two fit, send the part and we test both.
See marking machines →Marking: 20–30 W fiber for serials and logos; 50 W+ for deep engraving or fast lines. Cutting: 1.5–2 kW for MS to 10 mm; 3–6 kW for thicker plate. Welding: 1.5 kW for SS to 3 mm; 2–3 kW for 5 mm and aluminium.
Tabletop for job shops · Enclosed when operators are untrained or the room is shared · On-fly for conveyors · Handheld for large fixed parts · CCD when parts arrive unaligned · Robotic for 3D or high volume.
All formats →A 110 × 110 mm lens gives the finest spot; 200 × 200 mm is the all-rounder; 300 × 300 mm covers big parts but with a larger spot. Choose the smallest field that fits your largest job.
Guide 02
| Material | Fiber | CO2 | UV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless / MS | Best | — | Light | Black anneal, white or deep engrave |
| Aluminium (anodised) | Best | Coating only | Good | Bright white mark on anodising |
| Brass / copper | Good | — | Light | Higher power or MOPA for contrast |
| ABS / PA (dark) | Good | Fair | Best | Fiber colour-change; UV for no foaming |
| PET / PC / clear plastic | — | Fair | Best | Cold mark, no melt |
| Wood / MDF | — | Best | Fair | Engrave and cut |
| Acrylic | — | Best | Fair | Flame-polished cut edge |
| Glass | — | Frost | Best | UV for crack-free codes |
| Leather / fabric | — | Best | Fair | Sealed edges on cut |
| Paper / cardboard | — | Best | Good | On-fly coding |
| PCB / FR4 | Fair | — | Best | Micro text and 2D codes |
| Ceramic / tile | Fair | Good | Good | Pattern and code marking |
"Best / Good / Fair / Light" are starting points — coating, colour and finish change results. We always test your actual part.
Guide 03
Heats stainless or titanium below melting point to form a black oxide. No material removed, corrosion-resistant, ideal for medical UDI.
Removes material 0.05–1 mm deep. Survives paint, wear and abrasion — tools, dies, castings, VIN plates.
Shallow melt that changes texture and contrast. Fastest option for serials and logos on most metals.
Fiber or UV alters pigment in the plastic — white on dark ABS, dark on light PA. No depth, no dust.
Strips paint, anodising or ink to expose the base metal — day/night buttons, coated panels.
MOPA fiber sources tune pulse width to produce blue, gold, red and green oxides on stainless — branding and jewellery.
Guide 04
Vector: DXF, AI, PLT, SVG · Image: BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF · Fonts: TTF, SHX · Data: Excel / CSV for serials, batches and variable text.
Export vectors as outlines (no live text), 1:1 scale, black fill / no stroke. For images use 300 dpi greyscale; the software dithers for engraving.
Code 128, EAN, QR, Data-Matrix and GS1 are generated in-software with verification grading. Minimum cell size 0.25 mm on fiber, 0.1 mm on UV.
Point the job at a column; the machine increments per part and can log each mark with timestamp for traceability.
USB standard; Ethernet, RS-232 and 24 V I/O optional for start/stop, encoder sync (on-fly) and part-present sensors.
Guide 05
| Daily | Wipe lens & protective windowLint-free wipe, isopropyl alcohol. Check fume extraction. |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Clean the work table and railsVacuum debris; check air-assist pressure and nozzle. |
| Monthly | Inspect fibre cable & connectorsNo tight bends (< 200 mm radius). Check chiller water level and filter (CO2 / welding). |
| Quarterly | Focus check & power testRamp test on a standard plate; recalibrate Z if depth drifts. |
| Yearly | AMC service visitGalvo calibration, source health check, electrical inspection, software update. |
Guide 06
1064 nm (fiber), 10.6 µm (CO2) and 355 nm (UV) each need their own rated goggles. We supply the correct pair with every machine.
An interlocked enclosure makes the system Class 1 — no goggles needed for bystanders. Open tabletop and handheld units are Class 4: controlled area, signage, trained operators.
Plastics, PVC and coated parts release fumes — always run extraction with a HEPA + carbon filter. Never mark PVC without extraction.
The gun fires only when the nozzle touches metal; still use a welding screen, gloves and 1080 nm goggles. Keep flammables 3 m away.
Ask an engineer — we'll answer and add it to the guides.