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CO2 Basics
What is a CO2 laser cutter or engraver?
Short answer
A CO2 laser is a machine that cuts and engraves using a beam produced by a CO2 gas-filled tube, which emits a long 10.6 µm (infrared) wavelength. That wavelength is absorbed beautifully by non-metals, which is why CO2 lasers are the workhorse for wood, acrylic, leather, paper, fabric, and glass — cutting clean edges and engraving fine detail. The same machine usually does both: cut through a material or engrave its surface. CO2 lasers don’t cut bare metal (that’s a fiber laser’s job), though high-power CO2 can cut thin sheet. Boss’s LS and HP series are CO2 cutter-engravers.
What makes it a “CO2” laser
An electrically excited tube filled with CO2 gas generates the beam, which mirrors and a lens focus onto the material. Its 10.6 micron wavelength is strongly absorbed by organic/non-metal materials, giving clean cuts and crisp engraving. “CO2 laser cutter” and “CO2 laser engraver” are usually the same machine doing two jobs.
What it’s best at
CO2 is the most versatile laser for non-metals: wood, acrylic, leather, paper, cardboard, fabric, cork, rubber, and glass (engraving). It marks coated/anodized metal and, at high power, cuts thin sheet metal — but real metal thickness needs fiber. See how does a CO2 laser work?
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What is a CO2 laser engraver?
It’s a machine that engraves (and usually cuts) using a beam from a CO2 gas tube at a 10.6 µm wavelength. That wavelength is absorbed by non-metals, so CO2 engravers excel on wood, acrylic, leather, and glass. Most CO2 engravers also cut these materials.
What is a CO2 laser cutter?
The same kind of machine, framed for cutting: a CO2 laser focuses its beam to cut through non-metals like wood, acrylic, leather, and paper. High-power CO2 can also cut thin sheet metal, but thicker metal needs a fiber laser.
What is the difference between a CO2 laser cutter and engraver?
Usually none in hardware — the same CO2 machine cuts (beam through the material) and engraves (beam marks the surface). The difference is the settings: higher power and slower speed to cut, lower power and faster speed to engrave.
Related: What is a laser cutter? · How does a CO2 laser work? · What can a CO2 laser engrave?
CO2 Basics
How does a CO2 laser cutter work?
Short answer
A CO2 laser works by running electricity through a sealed tube filled with CO2 gas, which excites the gas to emit a 10.6 µm infrared beam. That beam is steered by mirrors and focused by a lens to a fine point with enough energy to melt, burn, or vaporize the material, while air assist clears smoke and debris. A computer-controlled motion system moves the head along your design. Cutting drives the beam through the material; engraving uses less power to mark the surface. It works on non-metals because they absorb the CO2 wavelength — bare metal reflects it.
From gas tube to focused beam
A CO2 laser’s beam starts in a sealed tube of CO2 gas; an electrical discharge energizes the gas to emit 10.6 micron light. Mirrors bounce the beam to the head, where a lens focuses it to an intense point that melts/burns/vaporizes the material, and air assist clears smoke and debris.
Turning the beam into a part
A computer-controlled motion system moves the head along the vector path. Cutting uses enough power to go through; engraving rasters at lower power to mark the surface. Non-metals absorb the CO2 wavelength and bare metal reflects it, so CO2 excels on wood, acrylic, leather, paper, and glass. See how does a laser cutter work? for the general principle.
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How does a CO2 laser cutter work?
It energizes a CO2 gas tube to produce a 10.6 µm beam, steers it with mirrors, and focuses it with a lens to a point that melts, burns, or vaporizes the material, while air assist clears the cut. A computer moves the head along your design. Cutting goes through the material; engraving marks the surface.
How does a CO2 laser engraver work?
The same way as a CO2 cutter, but at lower power and higher speed so the beam only marks the surface. The beam rasters back and forth to build an image or text line by line. The CO2 wavelength is absorbed by non-metals, giving clean, permanent engraving.
How do CO2 laser engraving and cutting machines work on acrylic?
Acrylic absorbs the 10.6 µm CO2 beam extremely well, so the laser cuts it with a glossy, flame-polished edge and engraves it to a frosted white (on cast acrylic). The beam melts/vaporizes a narrow line for cutting or a shallow layer for engraving, with air assist keeping it clean.
Related: How does a laser cutter work? · What is a CO2 laser? · What can a CO2 laser engrave?
Materials
What can a CO2 laser engrave?
Short answer
A CO2 laser engraves a huge range of non-metals: wood, acrylic, leather, glass, paper and cardstock, fabric, cork, rubber, stone and slate, ceramic and tile, and many plastics. It also marks anodized aluminum directly and other metals when coated with a marking spray. What it can’t engrave is bare metal (use a fiber laser) — and what you must never laser is PVC or vinyl, which release toxic chlorine gas. In short, if it’s an organic or non-metal material, a CO2 laser can probably engrave it; for bare metal, reach for fiber.
Materials a CO2 laser engraves
- Wood & plywood — dark, detailed engraving
- Acrylic — frosted white (cast); glossy cut edges
- Leather — crisp dark marks (genuine; avoid PVC faux)
- Glass, stone, slate & ceramic — frosted surface engraving
- Paper, cardstock, fabric, cork, rubber
- Anodized aluminum & coated metals — direct (anodized) or via marking spray
What it can’t — and must never — engrave
CO2 can’t engrave bare metal (reflects the beam) — that’s fiber’s job. Never laser PVC, vinyl (toxic chlorine gas), or polycarbonate (burns). Identify unknown materials first. See what materials can a laser cutter cut?
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What can a CO2 laser engrave?
Non-metals of all kinds — wood, acrylic, leather, glass, paper, fabric, cork, rubber, stone, slate, and ceramic — plus anodized aluminum directly and other metals with a marking spray. It can’t engrave bare metal (use fiber), and you must never laser PVC or vinyl.
Can a CO2 laser engrave metal and glass?
Glass, yes — CO2 frosts the surface and is the right tool for it. Bare metal, no — CO2 reflects off it, so you need a marking spray or a fiber laser; anodized aluminum is the one metal it marks directly.
What should you never engrave with a CO2 laser?
Never PVC or vinyl — they release toxic, corrosive chlorine gas that harms you and the machine — and avoid polycarbonate, which burns instead of marking. Always identify an unknown material before running it.
Related: What materials can a laser cutter cut? · Can a CO2 laser engrave metal? · Can a CO2 laser engrave glass?
CO2 & Metal
Can a CO2 laser engrave metal?
Short answer
Not directly on bare metal — a CO2 laser’s 10.6 µm beam is reflected by bare metal, so it won’t mark steel, brass, or aluminum on its own. What it can do is mark metal with a marking spray or paste (CerMark, LaserBond, and similar): you coat the part, run the laser to bond the coating to the surface, then wash off the excess to leave a permanent dark mark. The one exception is anodized aluminum, which a CO2 laser marks directly by ablating the anodized layer. For fast, spray-free marking and true engraving on bare metal, a fiber laser is the right tool.
Use a marking spray with a CO2 laser
Bare metal reflects the CO2 wavelength, so the proven method is a metal marking spray/paste (CerMark, LaserBond): coat the part, run the laser to bond the coating, wash off excess for a durable dark mark. Real production process for logos, serials, labels; it bonds a surface mark rather than cutting into metal.
When to use fiber instead
For regular metal marking, a fiber laser is faster and spray-free — it anneals/etches/engraves bare stainless, aluminum, brass, copper, titanium directly (Boss FM Series). CO2+spray is best if you already own a CO2 and mark metal occasionally. See how to laser engrave metal.
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Can a CO2 laser engrave metal?
Not bare metal directly — the CO2 wavelength reflects off metal. With a marking spray or paste, a CO2 laser leaves a permanent dark mark, and it can mark anodized aluminum directly. For spray-free engraving of bare metal, use a fiber laser.
Can a CO2 laser engrave brass, aluminum, or stainless steel?
Only with a marking spray, which bonds a dark mark to the surface; bare brass, aluminum, and stainless reflect the CO2 beam and won’t mark on their own. Anodized aluminum is the exception and marks directly. A fiber laser marks all of these bare and is the better tool for metal.
How do you engrave metal with a CO2 laser?
Apply a metal marking spray or paste to the clean part, run the laser to fuse the coating to the surface, then wash off the excess to reveal a permanent dark mark. Test settings on scrap first. Without a coating, a CO2 laser cannot mark bare metal.
Will a CO2 laser engrave metal directly?
No — not bare metal. Direct CO2 marking only works on coated metal (via marking spray) or on anodized aluminum, where the laser ablates the anodized layer. Everything else needs a coating or a fiber laser.
Related: How do you laser engrave metal? · Can a CO2 laser engrave anodized aluminum? · Can a laser cutter cut metal? · Metal marking applications
CO2 & Metal
Can a CO2 laser engrave anodized aluminum?
Short answer
Yes — anodized aluminum is one of the few metals a CO2 laser marks well without any spray. The laser ablates the thin anodized (dyed oxide) layer to reveal the bright aluminum underneath, leaving a crisp light-on-dark mark with great contrast and no consumables. It works because the laser is removing the anodized coating, not marking the bare metal itself. For bare (non-anodized) aluminum, you’d need a marking spray or a fiber laser. This makes anodized aluminum a favorite for nameplates, tags, awards, and panels on a CO2 machine.
Why anodized aluminum is the exception
Bare metal reflects CO2, but anodized aluminum has a thin colored oxide layer on top of the metal. The CO2 beam removes that layer where it scans, exposing bright aluminum beneath — a high-contrast light-on-dark mark, no spray, no wash-off. Fast and repeatable.
Settings and what it’s good for
You’re ablating a thin layer, so run lower power, higher speed, and test on scrap (too much power cuts into the aluminum and dulls contrast). Ideal for nameplates, asset tags, awards, control panels, branded items. For bare aluminum, use a marking spray or fiber marker — see can a CO2 laser engrave metal?
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Can a CO2 laser engrave anodized aluminum?
Yes. Anodized aluminum is one of the few metals a CO2 laser marks directly, with no spray. The laser ablates the thin anodized layer to reveal the bright aluminum underneath, giving a crisp light-on-dark mark. Bare (non-anodized) aluminum needs a marking spray or a fiber laser.
Why does anodized aluminum work when bare metal doesn’t?
Because the laser is removing the anodized coating, not marking the bare metal. Bare aluminum reflects the CO2 beam, but the dyed oxide layer on anodized aluminum ablates cleanly, exposing the metal beneath for high contrast.
What settings should you use for anodized aluminum on a CO2 laser?
Use lower power and higher speed since you’re only removing a thin layer, and test on scrap first. Too much power cuts into the aluminum and reduces contrast. Aim for a clean, bright exposure of the metal under the coating.
Related: Can a CO2 laser engrave metal? · How do you laser engrave metal? · What can a CO2 laser engrave? · Metal marking applications
CO2 & Glass
Can a CO2 laser engrave glass?
Short answer
Yes — a CO2 laser is the right tool for engraving glass. Its 10.6 µm wavelength is absorbed at the glass surface and frosts a thin layer into a bright white mark for logos, text, and photos on glassware, awards, and panels. It engraves the surface only — a CO2 laser (or any laser) cannot cleanly cut glass, which cracks from thermal stress. Fiber and diode lasers are the wrong tools for clear glass (the beam passes through). For the full technique — settings, the damp-paper trick, and rotary setups — see how do you laser engrave glass?
CO2 is the laser for glass
Glass absorbs the long CO2 wavelength, so the beam micro-fractures a shallow top layer into a frosted white mark — ideal for glassware and awards. That’s why CO2 is standard for glass, while fiber (1064 nm) passes through clear glass and diodes only mark coated glass. Boss LS and HP CO2 systems handle glass well.
Get the full technique
Glass rewards a light touch: low power, high speed, a damp-paper cover to reduce chipping, and a rotary for round items. Full walkthrough (including photos and 3D-crystal sub-surface work): How do you laser engrave glass? A CO2 laser engraves glass but does not cut it.
More ways this gets asked
Can a CO2 laser engrave glass?
Yes — CO2 is the right laser for glass. It frosts a thin surface layer into a bright white mark for logos, text, and photos. It engraves the surface only; it cannot cut glass, and fiber or diode lasers don’t work on clear glass.
How do you engrave glass with a CO2 laser?
Run low power and high speed to frost the surface, cover the area with damp paper to reduce chipping, and use a rotary attachment for round items like tumblers. Test on a similar piece first. See our full glass-engraving guide for settings and photo work.
Can you engrave glass with a CO2 laser without cracking it?
Yes — keep power low and speed high, lay damp paper over the area to dissipate heat, and avoid over-powering the mark. Those steps give a smooth frost with minimal chipping. Cutting glass, however, is not possible with a laser; it cracks from thermal stress.
Related: How do you laser engrave glass? · Can a laser cutter cut glass? · Glass, stone & ceramic applications
Wood, acrylic, leather, glass? That’s a CO2 machine.
Boss’s LS Series is the general-purpose CO2 for shops, schools, and small production; the HP Series adds large-format beds and higher power. Start from what you’re making and work back to the machine.