Using CO2 Lasers for Marking Wood

At Apollo MFG, our CO2 laser operation can help you achieve your desired goals when it comes to marking on a wooden surface.

Today, we’ll go over the steps we take to take your design from concept to completion with our laser engraving process, ensuring that your design is accurately portrayed on its surface.

Preparation

Choose a suitable type of wood for engraving. Hardwoods like maple, cherry, and oak yield better results due to their finer grain, but softer woods like pine and cedar can also be used.

After the wood type is determined, we move into the design phase. Designs are created using vector graphics software like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. To move to the next phase, we must ensure the design is in a format compatible with the laser engraving software (e.g., .svg, .dxf, .ai). With our art department at the ready, we can take your artwork, or create a custom design that fits your needs.

Laser Setup

During this phase, we power on our laser and allow it to initialize. Once we’ve ensured all systems are running properly, we’ll take this time to adjust the laser power, speed, and resolution settings based on the wood type and desired engraving depth. Higher power and slower speeds generally result in deeper engravings. With everything now in place, we can now position the wood block on the engraving bed.

Engraving Process

Once your design has been imported into the laser engraver’s control software, it is positioned and scaled as needed. After this has been completed, we perform a test run on a scrap piece of wood to ensure settings are correct and the design appears as expected. Once this is completed, the engraving process is initiated. The laser will follow the design path, burning away the wood surface to create the engraved pattern.

Post-Engraving

With the engraving process completed, we can now carefully inspect the wood to ensure the design is accurate and of desired quality. Any residue or char leftover from the process is removed via a soft brush, cloth, or compressed air. If you have any special requests, additional finishing touches may be applied as we prep your project to get back into your hands.

Engraving Alternatives

Laser engraving is not the only option when it comes to wood projects. Our laser marking capabilities can achieve a flat marking without removal of any material.