Engraving on wood, acrylic, slate and metal
We engrave wood, acrylic, slate, anodised aluminium and stainless steel. The lettering sits in the material and does not wipe off. From 1 piece, made in Rottach-Egern.
What would you like to laser?
Two short questions — then you are at the right offer.
Engraving for your item
Upload your design, choose the position, see the price instantly.
- in 3 working days
A real person reviews every request.
Configure a laser job
Choose material and size, upload your file, see the price instantly.
- from €8
- in 3–5 working days
A real person reviews every request.
Tell us briefly what you need
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A real person reviews every request.
Three cases that come in regularly
From the trades: tool marking
Company name and a running number on planes, clamps and calipers. Useful when tools move between building sites.
From the hotel: room signs
Slate, aluminium or acrylic in one look for a whole building. The replacement sign in two years looks the same, because we keep the layout.
From the club: trophies and certificates
Crest and year on wood or acrylic, each placing lettered separately. A tournament runs through in one pass.
What we engrave
From a personalised one-off to a consecutively numbered series.
Personalised items
Serving boards, key fobs, picture frames — with a name, a date or a motif. Single gifts included.
Nameplates and control labels
Permanently legible on anodised aluminium or stainless steel: serial numbers, warnings, control panel labelling.
Tool and equipment marking
Asset numbers, QR and Data Matrix codes directly on the part — no sticker that peels off.
Photo engraving
A photograph as a halftone engraving on wood, slate or anodised aluminium — with contrast, not grey on grey.
Diode laser material list — engraving
The diode laser at 450 nm is strong wherever the surface is dark or organic. On metal it only works with marking spray — but then very durably.
| Material | Result | Preparation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood, plywood, MDF | dark brown to black | none | the classic contrast — pale woods look strongest |
| Bamboo | very dark, crisp | none | hard and dense, reproduces the finest lines |
| Vegetable-tanned leather | dark brown, embossed | none | we do not engrave chrome-tanned leather |
| Cork | dark brown | none | engrave shallow, otherwise the edge crumbles |
| Board, paper | brown | none | very low power, otherwise it burns through |
| Anodised aluminium | white/silver on colour | none | the laser removes the anodised layer — very durable |
| Stainless steel, steel, brass | matt black | marking spray (CerMark/Thermark) | the spray bonds into the surface and is rub-proof |
| Painted metals | base metal shows through | none | signs, tool cases, insulated mugs |
| Slate, natural stone, tile | light on dark | none | very high contrast, ideal for photo engraving |
| Dark plastics (ABS, PS, black acrylic) | light, matt | sample recommended | pale plastics give almost no contrast |
CO2 laser material list — engraving
The CO2 laser at 10.6 µm engraves wood, leather, cork, felt and slate, clear acrylic included. It covers larger areas more evenly.
| Material | Result | Preparation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic (clear and tinted) | matt white, frosted | none | strongest effect on clear acrylic — reverse engraving possible |
| Wood, plywood, MDF, veneer | light to dark brown | none | more even than the diode laser, larger areas |
| Vegetable-tanned leather | dark brown | none | bags, belts, wallets |
| Slate, natural stone, tile | light on dark | none | signposts, memorial plates, coasters |
| Cork | dark brown | none | large areas more even than on the diode laser |
| Paper, board | brown, embossed | none | invitations, menu cards |
| Laser-grade rubber | deeply relieved | none | stamp plates — the negative stands proud |
| Anodised aluminium | white on colour | none | as on the diode laser, larger areas possible |
| Stainless steel, steel, brass | matt black | marking spray | without spray the CO2 laser leaves nothing on bare metal |
| Textiles (denim, canvas, felt) | lightened or roughened | none | used look on denim, patterns on felt |
What we do not engrave — and why
| Material | Reason |
|---|---|
| PVC / vinyl | Releases hydrogen chloride — harmful and corrosive to the machine. Applies to engraving too. |
| Polycarbonate | Turns brown and scorches instead of engraving cleanly. |
| PTFE / Teflon | Releases hydrogen fluoride. |
| Chrome-tanned leather | Can release chromium VI. We only work with vegetable-tanned leather. |
| Coated chipboard with unknown surface | The coating often contains PVC — without a material declaration we do not engrave it. |
| Bare metal WITHOUT marking spray | The beam is reflected; no mark is produced, only stray radiation. |
Photo engraving
A photograph becomes an engraving by being broken into a halftone screen — the laser cannot do greys, only dot or no dot. It works best on slate, anodised aluminium and pale wood. Supply the image at at least 300 dpi at final size and with strong contrast; we prepare it and show you a preview beforehand.
File requirements
Two routes lead to an engraving, and they place different demands: a vector file is traced as a line, a raster image is scanned line by line. Logos and type belong in the first category, photographs in the second.
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Vector engraving (lines) | SVG, DXF, AI, EPS or vector PDF — the contour is traced |
| Raster engraving (areas, photos) | PNG, TIFF or JPG at at least 300 dpi at final size |
| Raster colour mode | Greyscale or black and white — colour is converted anyway |
| Type | Convert to paths (vector) or supply as an image — we do not have your font |
| Minimum type height | ≥ 2 mm on wood and metal, ≥ 3 mm on leather and textiles |
| Minimum line width | ≥ 0.2 mm — thinner bleeds in wood |
| Scale | 1:1 in millimetres; state the position on the workpiece |
| Engraving area | Diode laser 400×400 mm, CO2 laser 600×300 mm |
| Round parts | The CO2 laser engraves round parts on a rotary axis up to Ø 120 mm |
| Your own workpiece | Gladly — bring the material declaration. No plastics without one. |
The recurring mistake in engraving files: type that has not been converted to paths. Your font is missing on our machine, and the laser substitutes another one. Convert the text to curves before you export. For metal there is one more point: we engrave anodised aluminium and stainless steel, bare aluminium does not take the mark.
Frequently asked questions about laser engraving
Engraving removes only the surface; cutting separates the material. That is why many things can be engraved that cannot be cut — stone and metal for example. What can be cut is listed on the laser cutting page.
Yes. Anodised aluminium works directly — the laser removes the anodised layer and the bright base metal shows through. Stainless steel, steel and brass need a marking spray that bonds into the surface and is then rub-proof. Bare metal without spray produces no mark.
Permanent. Unlike print or a sticker, the engraving sits in the material itself — it survives the dishwasher, weather and cleaning agents. On anodised aluminium and with marking spray it is abrasion-resistant too.
Gladly — a serving board, a tool, a key fob. For plastic parts we need a material declaration: we do not engrave PVC or polycarbonate. With unknown coatings we run a test on a hidden spot first.
Yes, as a halftone engraving. It looks best on slate, anodised aluminium and pale wood. Supply the image at at least 300 dpi at final size and with strong contrast — we prepare it and show you a preview.
The price follows the engraved area, the material and the quantity. Lettering on a serving board is a small line item; a full-surface photo engraving on slate is considerably more. Send the motif and the workpiece — you get a concrete price.
Your motif, our laser.
Motif, material and quantity are enough — you get a tailored quote instead of a flat rate.
Request engraving