What is Stainless Steel Laser Engraving

Many of the products we use are made of stainless steel or contain stainless steel components. It is a commonly used material due to its reflective surface, durability, and resistance to corrosion. 

Stainless steel engraving is also in high demand. It is engraved for various purposes, including personalization, identification, and labelling.

Stainless steel can be engraved using a laser machine. The laser beams are strong enough to engrave the material or object.

Stainless Steel Laser Engraving

When the laser beams interact with the surface of the stainless steel, the material’s temperature swiftly increases and reaches its melting point. After that, the surface is subsequently marked. 

This temperature only liquefies the surface of stainless steel because it is below the boiling point and, therefore, insufficient to vaporize it.

Can a Laser be Used to Oxidize Stainless Steel?

A powerful laser can also quickly oxidize the metal surface. The metal is engraved with a certain colour due to oxidation. Typically, markings on metals are black, but if the laser is potent enough and can oxidize the material perfectly, a wider range of colours appear, making engraving or marking more attractive.

On stainless steel, no pre-treatment is required. It is possible to leave visible traces on the surface, but if you want darker markings, you should use a special compound. Commonly, it is referred to as metal branding spray. A uniformly thin layer of aerosol is applied to the metal surface. The laser beams then react with this substance, leaving a darker, more visible mark.

Numerous applications required engraving on stainless steel. Markings such as barcodes, company names, and badges are the most common. Also, it is used to construct designs on a variety of objects. For instance, stainless steel and other products of 3D printing service Perth can be laser-engraved for personalization. 

Artcom Fabrication can engrave various materials, including stainless steel, aluminium, wood, brass, and different polymers, with permanent precision, thanks to their extensive selection of CNC equipment.