Which plastics mark well with fiber, UV and CO2 lasers, what kind of mark to expect, and when the resin needs a laser-marking additive.
Plastics mark when they absorb the laser's energy and react: by carbonizing (a dark mark, the most common mechanism), foaming (a light mark on a dark part), changing color, or ablating a surface layer (usually low contrast). How well a resin absorbs depends on the polymer, its color and its additives - which is why the same plastic can mark well in black and hardly at all in natural.
Showing 21 of 21 plastics. Pick a laser to sort the best matches to the top.
| Plastic | Fiber1064 nm | UV355 nm | CO210.6 µm |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABSAcrylonitrile butadiene styrene | Good Dark on light, light (foamed) on dark | Good | Fair Tan to brown engraved marks |
| PolycarbonatePC | Excellent Chars to strong dark contrast | Excellent Preferred for clear, thin or medical parts | Fair Engraves recessed marks |
| PC/ABS and ASABlends | Excellent Mark readily; over-marking is the usual error | Good | Fair |
| AcrylicPMMA | Poor + additive Transmits 1064 nm almost completely | Good | Excellent Clean frosted marks |
| PolypropylenePP | Poor + additive Additive effectively mandatory | Fair Marks unaided; modest contrast | Poor Etches; no contrast |
| PolyethyleneHDPE, LDPE | Poor + additive Practically illegible without additive | Fair | Poor Etches or engraves |
| TPO and olefinic TPEThermoplastic elastomers | Poor + additive Behaves like PP; black grades foam light with MOPA | Fair | Poor |
| NylonPA 6, PA 66 | Fair + additive Pigmented grades mark; natural needs additive | Good | Poor |
| PPAHigh-temperature polyamide | Good Semi-aromatic; often no additive needed | Good | Poor |
| PBTPolybutylene terephthalate | Good Filled grades mark better still | Good | Poor Uncontrolled melting |
| PETPolyethylene terephthalate | Fair + additive Clear PET transmits 1064 nm | Good | Poor Uncontrolled melting |
| PolystyrenePS, HIPS | Good Chars easily; narrow process window | Good | Poor |
| AcetalPOM | Poor + additive Unzips to volatiles rather than charring | Poor | Poor |
| PVCRigid and flexible | Fair + additive Releases HCl - acid-gas extraction required | Good Preferred for medical tubing | Fair Traditional for wire and cable |
| PPSPolyphenylene sulfide | Good MOPA, 20-40 ns, >100 kHz | Good | Poor |
| PEEKPolyether ether ketone | Good Marks dark; restrain energy | Good | Poor |
| PEI and PSUPolyetherimide, polysulfone | Good Mark cleanly, often unaided | Good | Poor |
| PolyimidePI films, flex circuits | Fair Already dark - narrow contrast range | Excellent Standard for flex circuits | Poor |
| LCPLiquid crystal polymer | Poor + additive Resists the reactions that form marks | Fair | Poor |
| PTFE and fluoropolymersPTFE, FEP, PFA | Poor + additive | Good + additive Best on filled or modified grades | Poor Decomposes; hazardous fumes |
| SiliconeLSR, HCR | Poor + additive | Good Preferred; preserves the surface | Poor |
No plastic in the chart matches those filters. Try “Any mark”, or ask us about your resin.
Ratings are a starting point, not a specification. Many "poor" results become good with a laser-marking additive compounded into the resin (marked + additive), and where a resin does not absorb, an additive is usually cheaper than changing laser technology.
Partly aromatic, ABS chars readily: dark marks on light grades and foamed light marks on dark ones. Pigmented grades often mark without an additive; 0.5-3% of a laser-sensitive additive lifts contrast and speed on light colors.
Polycarbonate's aromatic backbone chars readily, giving strong dark contrast with little or no additive. Clear PC transmits 1064 nm, so use UV or a laser-markable clear grade. Stress crazing can appear hours after marking - a sign the energy input is too aggressive.
Both are aromatic and char well, so they mark readily without an additive. Over-marking is the usual error - restrain the energy.
Acrylic transmits near-infrared almost completely, so a fiber laser beam passes straight through. Use a CO2 laser, which acrylic absorbs strongly and frosts cleanly, a UV laser, or a laser-markable clear compound. Cast acrylic frosts more consistently than extruded.
Polypropylene absorbs near-infrared poorly and depolymerizes rather than chars, so unmodified material gives weak contrast at any power. With a laser-marking additive it marks sharply at production speed - wine corks and closure undercaps run at up to 2,000 parts a minute.
Polyethylene has almost no absorption at 1060-1070 nm and marks practically illegibly without an additive. It is generally easier than polypropylene, and HDPE easiest of all.
TPO and many TPE grades are aliphatic and behave like polypropylene: they need a laser additive. On the many black TPEs, a foamed light mark made with a short-pulse MOPA laser is usually the only legible option.
Unmodified nylon absorbs little at 1064 nm, so contrast depends on pigments or a laser additive; popular results are white on black, black on white and white on blue. On glass-filled grades a resin-rich surface is essential - fiber-rich surfaces mark badly. Nylon is hygroscopic, and moisture changes how it marks.
The semi-aromatic backbone chars more readily than PA 6 or PA 66, which often removes the need for an additive. Most grades are 30-50% glass filled, so watch for fiber emergence.
Polyesters have a natural tendency to mark well under an infrared laser, and filled grades better still. CO2 marking of polyester is generally not recommended because of uncontrolled melting.
Opaque PET marks moderately to well under a fiber laser; clear PET transmits 1064 nm and needs UV or a laser-markable grade. UV works well on aromatic polymers such as PET.
The aromatic ring means polystyrene chars readily, so getting a mark is easy. The real problem is the narrow process window: the softening point is low, so too much energy melts the mark.
Acetal unzips to volatiles instead of charring, making it among the hardest plastics to mark. Sabreen's patented fiber laser marking process achieves dark-on-light contrast on acetal that could not previously be marked.
PVC is about 57% chlorine and releases corrosive hydrogen chloride when lasered, so it must only be marked with fume extraction specified for acid gas - Sabreen's general guidance is to avoid laser processing PVC unless those controls are in place. UV minimizes HCl generation and is preferred for medical tubing.
PPS often marks without an additive, but its heat resistance makes the process window narrow. For light marks on the usual black, glass-filled grades, a MOPA fiber laser at 20-40 ns pulse duration and above 100 kHz is the right tool.
PEEK marks dark without an additive, and over-marking is the usual error. For the most consistent results a MOPA fiber laser with a high-temperature laser additive (one that survives 350-400°C processing) is the best balance; UV is the alternative.
High-temperature aromatics like PEI and polysulfone mark dark and cleanly, often with no additive.
Polyimide is aromatic and already dark, so the contrast range is narrow. UV dominates flexible-circuit work; on thin film over copper traces, 355 nm is a requirement.
Like other high-temperature polymers, LCP resists the thermal reactions that form laser marks. A high-temperature additive makes marks practical.
The carbon-fluorine bond is exceptionally strong and PTFE lacks chromophores. UV and CO2 work better than near-infrared, and filled or additive-modified grades are the reliable route. Fluoropolymer fumes warrant a specific health and safety assessment.
UV is preferred for silicones: medical-grade silicones favor UV marking to preserve surface integrity and biocompatibility. Fiber marking needs a laser-markable grade.
A + additive tag means a laser-marking additive typically turns the result into a good one. Additive loadings run from 0.01% to 4.0% by weight in the finished part, usually 0.01-2.0% once optimized, and they normally speed marking up as well.
Fiber lasers (1064 nm) are the production workhorse, with the lowest total cost of ownership for most marking and excellent results on dark and pigmented plastics. Carbon black absorbs strongly at 1064 nm, so black grades often mark with no additive at all. Many unpigmented and clear plastics barely absorb at this wavelength. A MOPA fiber laser, with adjustable pulse length, adds latitude for heat-sensitive polymers and for light marks on dark plastics.
UV lasers (355 nm) mark with far less heat. They are the practical choice for heat-sensitive and clear parts without additives, fine features, silicones and polyimide flex circuits, at a higher capital cost than fiber.
CO2 lasers (10.6 µm, also 9.3 µm) are absorbed at the surface of nearly all plastics and engrave, frost or cut rather than darken. Acrylic frosts cleanly; on most other plastics a continuous-wave CO2 laser cannot produce a high-contrast mark.
Green (532 nm) and UV beams can also be focused inside a clear part for subsurface marking.
Dark marks come from carbonization, favored by longer pulses and more heat; they give the best contrast on light parts and resist abrasion and UV. Light marks come from foaming, favored by short, high-peak-power pulses - the standard route to a white mark on a dark part, though foamed marks are less abrasion resistant.
Fiber lasers (1064 nm) are the production workhorse, with the lowest total cost of ownership and excellent results on dark and pigmented plastics - but many unpigmented plastics need a laser additive to absorb that wavelength. UV lasers (355 nm) are the practical choice for heat-sensitive and clear parts without additives. CO2 lasers engrave and frost rather than darken, and excel on acrylic.
Not well on its own: polypropylene absorbs near-infrared poorly and depolymerizes rather than chars, so unmodified material gives weak contrast at any power. Compounded with a laser-marking additive it marks sharply at production speed.
A laser-sensitive pigment - typically supplied as a masterbatch - that absorbs the laser energy and drives carbonization or color change in the plastic around it. Loadings run from 0.01% to 4.0% by weight in the finished part, usually 0.01-2.0% once optimized, and additives normally allow faster marking at lower power.
Dark marks come from carbonization, favored by longer pulses and more heat; they show best on light parts. Light marks come from foaming, favored by short, high-peak-power pulses, and are the standard route to a white mark on a dark part. Carbon black absorbs strongly at 1064 nm, which is why black grades often foam to a light mark without an additive.
Sabreen develops laser-marking processes and additive packages for production plastics. Send the resin, color and the mark you need.
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