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Laser Marking and Engraving

Laser Marking & Engraving for Advanced Manufacturers

Whether you need to mark a serial number, part identification, or a company logo, finding the appropriate method can be challenging. Hand engraving/etching can be time consuming, expensive, and hard to find. Luckily, at AOTCO, we have a team of dedicated craftsmen who are well-versed in our highly advanced Laser marking and engraving technology.

Whether you need laser etching on the smallest of electrical components, or a complicated logo engraved on the surface of your finished parts, AOTCO has the equipment and the personnel to aid in your next laser graving or etching job.

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Laser Etching vs Laser Engraving

Before submitting a purchase order, it is best to determine what service your parts may require: Laser Etching or Laser Engraving? It is vital to understand the differences between the two processes to see which is a better marking option for your components. While the two terms sound very similar, there are actually some very key differences.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Laser Etching

Laser Etching is the process of using a laser to create extreme heat on the surface of metal. The extreme temperatures cause the selected area of the surface to melt, leaving a small, discolored, and raised bump. Etching is most often used on small-scale electrical components within a larger machine. Components such as metal pens, nameplates, and circuit boards are typically marked through the laser etching process, so as to not reduce their already limited surface area.

Advantages of Laser Etching

When trying to choose whether Laser etching or laser engraving is best for marking your components, it is important to understand the key unique benefits that each offers.

Laser Etching can provide crisp, clean, marking on the surface of your substrate. Some of the most notable benefits of Laser Etching, as opposed to Laser Engraving, are: 
  • High precision
  • Little production time
  • Low Cost 
  • Best marking method for thin and small components
  • And more! 

Laser Engraving

Laser Engraving, unlike laser etching, uses a laser to vaporize material off of the surface of a component. While etching leaves a raised mark, engraving “carves out” it’s marking, leaving it lower than the substrate’s original surface height. Laser engraving is typically used for external aesthetic or marking purposes, like applying a company logo or serial number.

Advantages of Laser Engraving

Laser Engraving can provide a long-lasting, durable, marking, or engraving slightly lower than your substrate’s surface. Some of the most notable advantages of Laser Engraving, as opposed to Laser Etching, are: 
  • Long-lasting mark
  • More resistant to abrasions and other form of wear
  • Faster than traditional engraving 
  • And more!
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