Laser Settings for Glass & Crystal
Can you laser engrave glass?
Yes — three different ways. CO2 lasers frost glass directly (a damp paper towel controls micro-cracking). Diode lasers need a black coating (tempera paint trick) because 450 nm light passes straight through bare glass. UV lasers give the cleanest result of all: crack-free frost marks, focused slightly into the material.
DIODE450 nm settings
| Variant | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass (coated) | Engrave | 1,000–3,000 mm/min | 70–80% | 1 | 10 W |
⚠ EngraveMust be coated — thin black tempera 50/50 with isopropyl. Bare glass cannot work. Coating washes off with warm water.
CO210.6 µm settings
| Variant | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass | Engrave | 300–400 mm/s | 20–35% | 1 | 60 W |
✓ EngraveDamp paper towel over the area controls micro-cracking. Rotary for glasses.
UV355 nm settings
| Variant | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass / crystal | Surface mark | 100 mm/s | 100% | 1 | 45 kHz |
✓ Surface markFocus 2–3 mm INTO the material. Frost-white, no cracking — UV's signature trick.
PrepPreparation & technique
Clean with alcohol first. On curved glassware without a rotary, keep designs inside a roughly 40 mm flat window or the edges fall out of focus.
⚠ SafetyFine glass dust — extraction on. Keep engraving away from drinking rims; advise hand-washing on engraved glassware.
LearnMatching tutorials
All values are starting points at the stated reference wattage. Run a test grid on your own machine and material batch first.