Laser Wavelengths for Specific Materials

Laser marking can be accomplished with several types of lasers. The most common are gas lasers, solid state lasers, and fiber lasers. Each type works in a unique way to create a laser beam at a particular wavelength. Each wavelength is suitable for marking in specific ways on specific materials.

Laser wavelengths for marking various materials.

Choosing the Right Wavelength for Your Material

Gas Lasers: CO₂ gas lasers are excellent for marking a wide range of plastics and organic materials.

Fiber and Solid State Lasers: The lasers in these categories include Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO₄ (Vanadate), and Ytterbium Fiber lasers. They all utilize approximately the same wavelength of laser beam, which is particularly good for marking metal surfaces as well as plastics.

Type	Material	CO₂ CL	aWave™ nanoVIS	Yb Fiber FYBRA	Yb Fiber LXQ
Metal	anodized aluminum		■	■	■
Metal	burnished metal surfaces		■	■	■
Metal	metals and alloys		■	■	■
Metal	metals and alloys, high temperature				■
Metal	painted metals	■	■	■	■
Plastics	plastics	■	■	■	■
Plastics	polycarbonate	■	■	■	■
Plastics	silicone	■	■	■	■
Plastics	transparent plastics	■
Other	ceramics	■	■	■	■
Other	glass	■
Other	leather	■	■	■
Other	paper	■	■
Other	rubber	■		■	■
Other	wood	■