Home Forums Sign Making Discussions CNC Router and Engraving can you laser engrave stainless steel?

  • can you laser engrave stainless steel?

    Posted by Neil Churchman on 17 August 2008 at 19:32

    We have to produce some small brushed stainless steel plates with fine black lettering and I was wondering if this could be done using a laser engraving to achieve smaller lettering? 😕

    Rodney Gold replied 17 years, 1 month ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • Graeme Harrold

    Member
    17 August 2008 at 19:50

    CO2 requires a pre-treatment paste, personally not a fantastic finish. Yag is the way to go for this, best bet is to drop Rodney a PM and ask direct unless he manages to pop up.

  • Rodney Gold

    Member
    18 August 2008 at 05:40

    Co2 laser and Cerdec (molybdenum tri sulphide) will create a permanent black mark on Stainl;ess , with no depth.
    This is sometimes desireable , like on medical equipment , where you do not want an incised letter (engraving harbours germs)
    Anyway , it works quite well and the lettering is resistant to just about anything. as it bonds the marking paste to the subsurface of the Stainless.
    Yag will engrave with depth if it has enough power , albeit most low powered YAG’s will also "mark" the metal without perceptible depth.
    We do tons of SS with Cerdec….

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