Home / Materials / Anodized aluminum
Anodized aluminum: diode, CO2 and fiber laser compatibility
OMTech lists anodized aluminum for diode lasers. Boss Laser states that a CO2 laser marks coated or anodized metal. xTool and OMTech list aluminum for fiber laser engraving.
- Also called
- business cards, dog tags
- Diode laser
- Engrave or mark: Yes (2), cut: Not listed
- CO2 laser
- Engrave or mark: Yes (1), cut: Not listed
- Fiber laser
- Engrave or mark: Yes (2), cut: Not listed
- Thickest one-pass cut listed
- Not listed
- Listed as No by
- No manufacturer
Compatibility by laser type
Yes (2) 2 manufacturers or stores list it as workableNo (2) 2 list it as not workableDisagree manufacturers list bothWith conditions workable only under a stated conditionNot listed no manufacturer statement
| Laser type | Engrave or mark | Cut |
|---|---|---|
| Diode laser (blue, about 450 to 455 nm) | Yes (2) Yes: OMTech, Glowforge. | Not listed |
| CO2 laser (10,600 nm) | Yes (1) Yes: Boss Laser. | Not listed |
| Fiber laser (1064 nm) | Yes (2) Yes: xTool, OMTech. | Not listed |
The material lookup adds a cut thickness for anodized aluminum.
Manufacturer statements
| Laser and job | Manufacturer | Lists it as | Wording or table entry on the page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diode, engrave or mark | OMTech | Yes | Diode target materials: Wood, leather, dark acrylic, anodized aluminum. | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
| Diode, engrave or mark | Glowforge | Yes | They also engrave on ... titanium, aluminum | Glowforge: Craft Series tech specs (Aura, Spark) |
| CO2, engrave or mark | Boss Laser | Yes | a CO2 laser only marks coated or anodized metal, not bare metal. | Boss Laser: Materials and safety FAQ |
| Fiber, engrave or mark | xTool | Yes | Engraving: Metals: Stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, brass, copper, gold, silver, and platinum Plastics: Engineering plastics like ABS and PVC Some opaque acrylic Stone Ceramic Leather Rubber Silicone | xTool: Fiber vs CO2 vs diode laser guide (blog) |
| Fiber, engrave or mark | OMTech | Yes | The gold standard for deep engraving and etching bare metal | OMTech: Diode vs CO2 vs fiber lasers guide (blog) |
Not listed for: Diode cut, CO2 cut, Fiber cut.
One-pass cut depth
No one-pass cut depth is listed for this material on the laser machines page.
Notes
- Glowforge's list says “aluminum” and does not say anodized. It is counted here as a diode Yes for coated aluminum only.
Fumes
Laser cutting and engraving give off fumes. The machine's manual has the venting rules for that machine. The fume and room lookup compares a machine's exhaust airflow with fume extractor airflow.