Choose the ideal Laser in 3 Easy Steps
1
Technology
Determined by materials and process; options are CO2 (Cutting/Engraving), UV (Marking/Engraving), Fiber Markers, and Fiber Cutters.
2
Power
Primarily determined by the thickness of materials being cut or engraving depth required. Higher powered machines generally have faster processing.
3
Work Area
Primarily determined by processing area required; larger work areas can process more smaller projects simultaneously. Work area height may also be a factor.
STEP 1 – Determine Required Technology
Technologies Summarized
CO2 LASER: Boss CO2 lasers can process the widest variety of non-metal applications
- Cut & Engrave: wood, acrylic, leather, and fabric; stone, glass, and more.
- Engrave: powder-coated tumblers, anodized aluminum, laser-able blanks, glass, stone, and more
- General Use: most common technology for general use, non-metal applications
- Sheet Metal Cutting*: Boss HP Series machines can cut stainless and carbon steel sheets
UV LASER: A Boss UV laser’s spot size is 30x smaller than a CO2 (3x smaller than a fiber)
- Highest Resolution: serial numbers, UPC codes, and more on most metals, non-metals, and organics
- Lowest Thermal Impact: perfect for heat sensitive applications, like electronics and medical implants
- Clear Materials: unlike a fiber laser, a UV’s wavelength is efficiently absorbed by clear materials
FIBER MARKER: The Boss FM-Series can permanently mark or deeply engrave metals and non-metals
- Firearms: meets FFL requirements for engraving identification numbers firearm
- Deep Designs: Boss fiber markers can be used for deep metal engravings
FIBER CUTTER: The Boss FC-Series is designed for cutting metals, with precision and speed
- Metal Cutting: steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, titanium, etc. sheet, plate, and pipe
- Production Efficiency: available with exchange platform and auto material handler
- Cutting Power: cut metals fast, 1,000 to 30,000 watts for up to 2″ steel cutting
- Accuracy: high-quality components provide accuracy of 0.004″ or better
Processing Capabilities Compared
| Material/Process | CO2 Lasers | HP-Series CO2 | UV Lasers | Fiber Markers | Fiber Cutters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NON-METAL CUTTING | |||||
| Wood Cutting |  | |  | | |
| Acrylic Cutting | | | | | |
| Leather Cutting | | | | | |
| Paper/Cardboard Cutting | | | | | |
| Fabric Cutting | | | | | |
| NON-METAL ENGRAVING | |||||
| Wood Engraving | | | | | |
| Acrylic Engraving (1) | | | |  | |
| Leather Engraving | | | | | |
| Paper/Cardboard Engraving | | | | | |
| Glass Etching/Engraving (2) | | | | | |
| METAL CUTTING | |||||
| Steel Sheet Cutting (3) | | | | | |
| Steel Plate Cutting | | | | | |
| Aluminum Cutting | | | | | |
| Brass/Copper Cutting | | | | | |
| Gold/Silver Cutting | | | | | |
| METAL ENGRAVING | |||||
| Powder Coated Metals (3) | | | | | |
| Anodized Metals (3) | | | | | |
| Direct Metal Engraving | | | | | |
| METAL MARKING | |||||
| Permanently Mark Metals | | | | | |
| Metal Marking w/ Spray (4) | | | | | |
| APPLICATIONS | |||||
| Powder-Coated Tumblers | | | | | |
| Natural Metal Tumblers | | | | | |
| Firearms (6) | | | | | |
| Medical Implants | | | | | |
| Shop All Lasers | LS-Series EVO-Series | HP Series | UV-Series | FM Series | FC Series |
Technology Highlights
CO2 Lasers
Benefits:
Versatility: Cuts and engraves the broadest range of materials
- Cut & Engrave: wood, acrylic, leather, rubber, fabric. cardboard. foam, and more
- Engrave: powder coated tumblers, anodized aluminum, and other laser-able items
- PiBurn Compatible: use the industry-standard PiBurn rotary on all Boss CO2 lasers
Economy: for engraving non-metals, CO2 lasers are less expensive than fiber or UV lasers.
Limitations:
Metals: CO2 lasers do not efficiently process metals
- No Engraving: cannot directly engrave or permanently mark metals
- Marking spray can be used for a durable mark
- Metal Cutting: cannot cut most metals, steel sheet is limited to HP Series
- HP Series can cut up to 16ga stainless steel
- with Iradion upgrade the 5598 can cut 14ga stainless
Spot Size: when correctly aligned, CO2 lasers have excellent resolution
- vs Other Lasers: for ultra-high resolution is requirements, consider a UV or fiber
- UV Laser spot size is 30x smaller
- Fiber marker spot size is 10x smaller
- Heat Affected Zone (HAZ): considerably larger than UV or Fiber laser, increasing thermal impact
Fiber Laser Markers
Benefits:
Permanent Marking—on stainless & carbon steels, aluminum, brass, copper, gold,, silver, nylon, acrylic (non-transparent), and more. Great for manufacturer identifiers like serial numbers, MPNs, UPCs, logos, as well as detailed designs, and photo engraving.
Metal Engraving—Only fiber machines can engrave metals deeply, making them ideal for serial numbers that cannot be scraped or sanded off. While UV lasers also “mark” metals, they cannot engrave to the depth of a fiber.
Firearms: Fiber laser markers can engrave FFL-compliant identifiers into metal gun parts. They can also deeply engrave stippling, logos, or designs into metal & composite gun parts.
Limitations:
No Cutting—Fiber laser markers do not cut.
No Organics—Fiber laser markers do not process organics.
No Transparent Materials—The wavelength of a fiber laser prevents their beam’s energy from being absorbed by glass or transparent acrylics., therefore these cannot be processed.
UV LASERS
Benefits:
Versatility: Permanently mark the widest range of metals, non-metals, and organics
Spot Size: A Boss UV laser’s spot size is 30x smaller than a CO2 (3x smaller than a fiber)
- Highest Resolution: serial numbers, UPC codes, and more on most metals, non-metals, and organics
- Lowest Thermal Impact: perfect for heat sensitive applications, like electronics and medical implants
Clear Materials: unlike a fiber laser, a UV’s wavelength is efficiently absorbed by clear materials
Limitations:
Cutting: UV lasers markers do not cut
Deep Engraving: UV lasers can permanently mark almost anything, for deep metal engraving, or firearm IDs, a fiber marker should be considered
Fiber Laser CUTTERS
Benefits:
- Metal Cutting: steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, titanium, etc. sheet, plate, and pipe
- Production Efficiency: available with exchange platform and auto material handler
- Cutting Power: cut metals fast, 1,000 to 30,000 watts for up to 2″ steel cutting
- Accuracy: high-quality components provide accuracy of 0.004″ or better
Limitations:
Non-Metals: Fiber laser cutters do not cut, acrylic, wood, organics, or any non-metals
Engraving: Fiber cutters to not engrave