Laser Settings for Stainless Steel
Can you laser engrave stainless steel?
Yes — fibre lasers mark, anneal and deep-engrave bare stainless directly, and it's the professional standard for tags, tools and industrial marking. Diode and CO2 lasers cannot touch bare steel, but with a laser marking compound they produce a permanent bonded black mark.
DIODE450 nm settings
| Variant | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel (marking spray) | Mark | 1,000–2,000 mm/min | 100% | 1–2 | 10 W |
⚠ MarkNo air assist — it blows the compound off before it bonds. Bonded surface mark, not deep engraving. Wash residue after.
CO210.6 µm settings
| Variant | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel (marking compound) | Mark | 100–300 mm/s | 60–100% | 1 | 60 W |
⚠ MarkCO2 cannot mark bare metal — compound required. No air assist. Permanent bonded black ceramic-style mark.
FIBRE1064 nm settings
| Variant | Operation | Speed | Power | Passes | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel | Etch / mark | 500–1,000 mm/s | 50–80% | 1 | 20–50 kHz |
| Stainless steel | Black anneal | 250–300 mm/s | 50–60% | 1 | 25–30 kHz |
| Stainless steel | Deep engrave | 1,500–2,000 mm/s | 90–100% | 20–30+ | 35–45 kHz |
✓ Etch / markLower frequency digs deeper and rougher; higher smooths.
✓ Black annealDefocus 2–3 mm below focus, 0.01–0.02 mm interval. Smooth black, corrosion-safe if not over-driven.
✓ Deep engraveCross-hatch rotating angles, 0.02 mm interval, cool between sets.
PrepPreparation & technique
Degrease with alcohol — oil means blotches. For fibre black annealing, defocus 2–3 mm below focus at a tight interval. For marking compound, apply a thin even coat and run with air assist OFF.
⚠ SafetyFibre lasers emit invisible 1064 nm light that reaches the retina — wavelength-rated goggles (OD5+) always. Follow the SDS on marking compounds.
LearnMatching tutorials
All values are starting points at the stated reference wattage. Run a test grid on your own machine and material batch first.