What Is CO2 Laser Etching
CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser marking was one of the first gas-powered laser engraving tools ever invented. They continue to be one of the most powerful lasers in the industry. Our in house CO2 laser department team an accumulated 50 years of experience using this type of machinery.
How Does CO2 Laser Engraving Work?
CO2 laser marking machines use an electrical current that runs through carbon dioxide gas captured in an optical resonator. The optical resonator contains 2 mirrors on each end which reflect the light produced by the electrical current.
Photons attach to one another in the optical resonator because of the presence of the gas. This creates a single beam of light that runs on approximately 10-micrometer wavelength. This beam of light, or laser, cuts through the weaker of the 2 mirrors and onto the surface of what’s being etched.
Accumark’s C-Mark Laser Services
A score of years ago you couldn’t mark stainless steel with a CO2 laser. Now it’s possible. Here’s a look at our C-Mark laser service.
- We apply a silicone-based material to stainless steel prior to etching.
- Once etched, the material bonds with the stainless steel resulting in a permanent black mark that’s resistant to accelerated UV and salt spray testing.
- After engraving, the leftover silicone-based material gets washed away with warm water.
Wood Laser Etching Services
Over 38 years ago, Accumark began with just one CO2 laser for engraving wood plaques and baseball bats. Since then, we have expanded our wood laser etching services and offer nearly a dozen CO2 lasers and the capacity to imprint large quantities of items in short periods of time.
Our CO2 laser marking systems are compatible with all manner of materials such as wood, acrylic, plastic, glass, stone, leather, rubber, paper, and fabrics.
Accumark’s CO2 Laser Marking Services
Whether you’re looking for a deep, refined etch on wood, to a surface etch on anodized metal, CO2 laser etching may be your ideal solution. With decades of experience, you can be sure that Accumark Inc offers the best CO2 laser marking services in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Other materials besides those mentioned above may be possible to laser etch as well. We always welcome new product testing. Ask us what our CO2 Lasers can do for you!