Laser engravers, once too expensive for the majority of potential buyers, are now seeing more affordable options released. Laser engravers typically can be used to engrave or laser-cut an incredibly large variety of materials, however if you are using a fibre laser engraver then you may want to avoid many organic materials as they may appear transparent to the 1062nm wavelength of the fibre laser beam.

Six Most Commonly Engraved Materials

1. Marble and Granite: are excellent for engraving photos due to their natural high contrast.
2. Stone and Brick: are great for engraving pieces that will be outdoors as they are tough-wearing against the elements.
3. Wood: is very commonly used but you will need to pay close attention to the different required parameters for each wood type.
4. Glass: produces stunning effects that tend to leave a frosted look but be mindful of possibly leaving a rough surface due to chipping caused by the laser.
5. Acrylic: is durable lightweight and often comes in sheets, known as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and is an excellent alternative to glass. Cast PMMA yields similar results to glass when engraved however extruded acrylic is more appropriate for laser cutting projects.
6. Metal: practically every metal can be engraved upon and is the most commonly used material for laser engraving.