Custom 316SS Fiber Etching: CNC Laser Stainless Steel Branding

Stainless steel branding by CNCROi.com is PERMANENT, our work will not fade, crack or peel overtime, unlike just about any other printing method available on stainless steel.

CNCROi.com is able to Stainless steel brand permanently because we use our fiber laser source, which super heats and vaporizes the surface of the stainless steel itself, no special pastes, no erosive chemicals… just fiber laser etching into the surface (annealing just super-heats the surface and tempers it).

In the image above, you see a great example of annealing while the bottom is etching, etching is engraving into the stainless steel while annealing is just a tempering process (transforming it off-black).

I made a video for CNCROi.com regarding the branding methods we use on stainless steel specifically so you can see why one is maybe better than the other for your specific application requirements.

And if you really like the darkness of the annealing but the non-reflective effects of the etching when it comes to stainless steel branding, we can do that too.

An issue we’ve had at CNCROi.com since founding is basically the need to hold some materials down during production, this is done using weights and various other items…

At the same time, we have an ongoing problem with focus when it comes to showcasing our work using cameras, so by etching 316 stainless steel then applying a protective coating over it, we will achieve two solutions with one product.

Visually, it’s easy to see if we are etching over annealing, notice the beam of the light green? That’s etching, if it’s orange, then it’s annealing, both stainless steel branding methods are done using the same laser source, just focus is different.

Stainless steel branding can also be done at depth, why would you want something engraved deeper?

For ultimate durability of course, though etching and annealing is still totally fine for most applications, deep etching costs a lot more and is highly specialized when budgets warrant, but this type of stainless steel branding can be done by CNCROi.com.

Do you want to see how stainless steel branding is affected by a swish into our sand blaster to test durability? Watch this video below.

When it comes to stainless steel branding, the reason why we don’t use a ceramic paste with our CO2 laser source (CNCROi.com has both) is because the results from our fiber laser source are permanent, that other stuff chips off over time.

The fiber laser is extremely hot and during the stainless steel branding process, the overall metal does warm-up and if we use very thin gauge, warping is always an issue which is why we prefer to use thicker plate rather than optimize designs to lessen the possibility of metal warping due to heating.

CNCROi.com makes lots of custom stainless steel tags for welding and machine identification purposes, they are available with or without holes and because we generally anneal though we can also etch them, stainless steel branding is PERMANENT.

If you are curious as to what other metal options CNCROi.com offers, anodized aluminium is another good choice depending on the application with the advantage of color.

Whether you need stainless steel plates and branding or the same done with anodized aluminium, that’s no problem for CNCROi.com!

What I really like about this 316 stainless steel, 3 mm or 1/8″ thick in this case, is that it’s incredibly durable, super easy to clean and permanently branded for thousands of videos to come.

If you are wondering how custom plates are cut, it really depends on the metal type, thickness and volumes involved, one such method that CNCROi.com does employ is CNC waterjet.

Though the plates in this blog post were done using a 4 CO2 KW laser, though we also have fiber and plasma availability.

Each CNC has their plus and minus, for instance, CNC plasma is very cost effective but you can have heat affected zones that don’t exist if you are using water and sand to cut the plate instead of flame.

What’s really nice about stainless steel branding is that you can still weld these tags and items directly to your work without affecting the etching or annealing because CNCROi.com doesn’t add anything to the metal, we just change the surface properties.

Other applications that CNCROi.com does custom stainless steel branding include custom coasters in various thicknesses and material types, anodized aluminium through iron.

The above stainless steel coaster is thin, let’s take a look at the same thing but a thicker gauge.

Notice how there is some slight warping, while the stainless steel branding process on the plate below doesn’t budge a bit because it’s so thick.

There are endless options when it comes to sizing, shaping and thickness for stainless steel, iron, aluminium and so forth.

Send us your CAD file or sketches, and we can cut, melt and brand what you need to be done.

If you are wondering what etching onto aluminium looks like, watch this video.

Now you know why aluminium is anodized or powder coated, it greatly increases durability and laser engraving contrast.

If you are wondering what are some other applications for annealing and etching stainless steel, CNCROi.com also makes custom memorial plates.

After the stainless steel branding is finished with our Austrian wide-format industrial laser, it has a brownish hue and there is a layer of stainless steel dust over everything, that’s why we clean it up first!

The metal soot comes off on your fingers quite easily, it doesn’t damage or affect the surface of the stainless steel branding, it just looks clearer once removed with better contrast.

You can see the huge difference between the above 316 stainless steel branded plate and the one below after it has been cleaned-up, once a protective coat is applied, it looks and feels like annealing but with the depth of etching.

Weddings are another area where CNCROi.com does a lot of stainless steel branding, there are may applications where the value of permanency is valued and our experience produces the best results overall.

Do you have a need for custom stainless steel branding, etching or annealing, contact CNCROi.com right now!