Boss Laser · Learn
Processes & Techniques
Cutting, engraving, etching, marking, texturing. The words get used interchangeably and they are not interchangeable — each does something different to the material.
Most confusion about laser work is really confusion about process. One machine does all of these; what changes is how deep you go and how the beam moves. Cutting separates the part. Engraving removes a recess you can feel. Etching melts a shallow top layer. Marking changes the surface without removing much of anything. Get the process right and the settings question mostly answers itself.
In this guide
Four ways in
Start with the distinction people get wrong most often, then take the specific processes one at a time.
Cutting vs. Engraving
Start here The difference is depth and how the beam moves — vector versus raster. And no, you don’t need two machines.Laser Etching
Process The shallow-layer process that sits between marking and engraving — and where it beats both.Laser Texturing
Process · Industrial Patterning a surface to change how it grips, bonds, or looks — an industrial process, not decoration.Laser-Cut Stencils
Application Where kerf, taper and bridges stop being theory — the material and tolerance decisions that make or break them.Boss Laser · Learn
Process settled — now the material.
Which process you need is half the question. The other half is what you’re putting under the beam, because the same settings behave completely differently on acrylic, wood, and coated metal.